Misconceptions
by Shura Pirate
Summary: Set after the series: Leon's skills were legendary-his looks even more so. He was ranked as the top bachelor within the circus world and known as the hunk of the Kaleido Stage. It was just too bad that he didn't know a thing about the art of dating...
1. Chapter 1

An: Sooo...this idea has been pestering me for a while now, but I didn't want to put it up until I finished some stories. XD I've done Drama/Romance with comedy, but comedy was not one of the main two genres.

This will be an attempt at comedy, especially with Leon's character. We'll see how this goes...

Note: Set after the series.

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It was an ordinary day for Leon Oswald.

He woke up, read the newspaper, grabbed a cup of café au lait from a French inspired coffee shop, and then headed to the gym near his place.

He was aware that the Kaleido Stage had one, but he was uncomfortable going to that one.

He did try it out once. There were many accidents that day due to people gawking at him and losing focus. The dance instructor had been in there at the time, chided the teens for not concentrating. When a student whined and pointed over at Leon as the cause of the distraction, the instructor huffed and whirled around to see, his dyed pink hair bouncing a little as he turned.

"You're excused," came the man's breathy reply upon seeing Leon.

Leon had walked out at that point. He didn't want there to be a problem with the instructor.

He had enough trouble with the teens.

The solution to sign up to a gym worked for the most part. He stayed over by the heavy weights so he was not around the female population as often, not that some of the males didn't look.

No, being stared at wasn't the issue.

Leon sat up from his bench pressing and grabbed his sweat towel. He softly cursed when he accidently made eye contact with the young woman on the bench press next to him.

She smiled. He turned his head.

"Hi there," came a feminine voice. His shoulders slumped a little at his failure to ward off the initial communication, but the gesture had been so slight that the woman had not seen it.

"...Hn."

She didn't note his detached response, instead his long silver hair caught her eye. "I've never seen that color before," she gushed, "How do you keep your hair so tangle free?"

He gave a slow blink, not understanding the question. _I shower and then brush it._

Didn't she do that as well?

When the seconds ticked off and he did not respond, she cleared her throat. "Well, this has been interesting, but I got to go now. Maybe we can talk over some tea or something later today?"

He blinked again. Why on earth would he go with a complete stranger to get a beverage? _Should she hold my hand as well in case I dart out into the street? _he caustically thought. He was an adult; he could get a drink by himself without a nanny there. Did he give the impression of incompetence?

At his chilling look, she quickly stood up and then left, unnerved by him.

Staring was not his issue.

Interacting with females, on the other hand...

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AN: I just had to make this after reading and writing Leon as a guy that knows what he's doing when it comes to women. XP


	2. Chapter 2

Edit: The chapter should be showing now. I don't know what happened. X/

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Ken woke up feeling pretty great.

He combed his hair, put on a plaid button up shirt but made sure to leave the top ones undone so his white undershirt showed, and then he grabbed an apple for the road.

As he waited for his bus, a young woman walked over to the stop.

He grinned to himself and rolled up his sleeves.

The ladies liked seeing some arm.

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His stop came and he got off.

Ken slipped Emma's phone number into his pocket and then took a bite out of his apple.

He'll call her the day after tomorrow.

As he walked onto the Kaleido Stage grounds, a few girls shyly called out to him. He put on his winning smile and gave them a nod back. The action caused them to giggle behind their hands.

Man, he loved working here.

He knew the ins and outs of this place and was familiar with the performers, though he knew some more than others.

He patted his shoulder bag where the old dating book Marion had given him two years ago was. If it weren't for that book, he wouldn't have the attention that he did now. The book solved his issues with dating and made him the love magnet he was today.

He spotted a trashcan nearby. He tossed his apple core like it was a basketball and when it landed inside, he heard a few girls dreamily sigh.

Yes, that book worked on every girl.

He strode over to the cafeteria, gave the older woman a smile and she let him in for free.

He was unstoppable, unbeatable! No one could resist his charms and smile!

His grin waned as he spotted a familiar red head getting in the food line. The book worked for all except one and he was looking straight at her.

Sora Naegino, the Kaleido Star of the stage had yet to fall for him.

He was certain that the book had not worked because she had been the first girl he tried it on. It was back before he had any confidence in himself, back when he had zero experience in dating and didn't know how the book worked.

That was then.

He was determined to succeed now.

Shaking off his slight gloom, he put his smile on and went over to her.

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	3. Chapter 3

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Sora woke up feeling quite chipper.

The morning sun felt nice, the breeze from the ocean felt refreshing and gave the air that salty sweet smell. Though she didn't think the sweet part came from the ocean. It seemed to be coming from the cafeteria which made her craving for some pancakes.

_Oceans smelling sweet._..She giggled at the funny thought._  
_

She put on her jean shorts and slipped on a white tank top with a big smiley sun printed on the front.

Life felt great right now and she knew it was.

May was her friend, Layla was proud of her, Leon was still pretty antisocial but he wasn't Mr. Crabby Pants, and the stage was getting a lot of visitors after the Swan Lake and quirky fun show with Rosetta and her acting as the leads.

The Boss even gave her a bonus.

She smiled and grabbed a food tray. _Yeppers, things seem to be looking up! _The only problem she had was choosing between a fruit cup or just snagging a banana.

"Good morning Sora."

"Morning Ken!"

She started a little when Ken's arm brushed against hers. _Oh, I must be taking too long. _Ken was hungry and she was holding up the line. She really had a hard time making fast decisions. With that she picked up a fruit cup and then walked down the line.

Sora didn't notice, but Ken frowned a little at her lack of reaction.

She hummed as she poured some set up pancake batter into the waffle maker. Her mouth watered as she thought about what toppings she was going to put on it. _Strawberries for sure and maybe some whipped cream..._

"So..."came Ken's voice next to her. "The Cape Mary carnival's coming up."

She looked over at him with a smile. "Yeah, I can't wait to go!" The waffle maker beeped and she opened it. "The Boss said that the acrobats there gave us some tickets to see their show in the big top."

"Us?" She missed the hopeful lilt in his voice.

"You and me," she used her fork to get the stubborn waffle out, "and Rosetta and May, even Leon if he wants to go." She let out a triumphant 'ahah!' when her breakfast was released from its confinement.

He let out a low groan of disappointment. There were too many names listed in the invitees.

"Anna and Mia were invited, but there's a magic show at the same time so Anna's skipping out. Mia's going there with a date, so she declined."

The word 'date' made him perk up. "Speaking of dates, we could-"

"Sora!" Rosetta hugged the girl from behind. "Thank you so much for the carnival ticket! I can't wait to go!"

The redhead turned away from Ken and hugged the girl back. "It's going to be fun with us going as one fun group! Right Ken?"

"...Right."

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	4. Chapter 4

AN: Now that the main players of this production have been introduced...

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The newbies and veterans alike were in the big practice dance room waiting for Kalos.

The owner of the stage had an announcement to make before everyone went about their day.

Off to the side, Sora had a leg up on the ballet beam and was stretching herself out. She leaned her upper body slowly to the right with her arm curving over her head and then switched arms to stretch the other side.

Ken happened to look over when she was arching backwards with her palms on the floor and both feet along the beam. Unknowingly or not caring, the motion made her loose practice shirt slide down in little increments.

He swallowed a little hard as the tanned skin of her belly was revealed in a slow tease.

_How could I have messed up?!_

The skills he learned from the book did not help him in the cafeteria this morning. His lips were a thin line. He had seen it work on so many others.

Maybe, just maybe it wasn't the book that failed to help.

It had to be something else. Some other factor in the 'Winning Sora' equation had been done incorrectly; he just needed to backtrack and fix his mistake.

The doors opened, Ken looked to see if it was Kalos.

There was a crowd of teens in front of him so he couldn't see, but by the way a few girls actually went weak in the knees, the dance instructor actually swooning-if the sudden disappearance of the man's tall pink hair near the front of the room was any indication-Ken took it that it was not Kalos. There was only one other man at the stage that made Ken feel a little less happy to be working here, seeing as the power of his charms and smile were made null and void by the other man's mere presence.

There was the movement of silver.

Some more heads in the crowd vanished from Ken's view and he heard the light thuds of their bodies hitting the floor as they lost consciousness by the overload of worship that overcame them from the simple motion of the newcomer _walking._

Yes, Ken knew that Leon was now in the room.

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	5. Chapter 5

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Leon walked towards the wall to lean against it when he heard his partner call out to him.

He altered his direction, his hair accidently touching someone which caused them to fall down. He heard the thud of the body, but he couldn't fathom why the person fell. He shrugged and continued walking.

_Performers need to remember to hydrate._

It was a common enough forgetfulness. After all, in the last circuses he performed at, there was the similar issue of people suddenly dropping like flies.

Honestly, how hard is it to remember to drink water?

He'll never understand it.

"Morning Leon!" his partner chirruped.

She was still stretching out with her back bent over and her slender legs on the ballet beam, still unaware of what her exposed tummy was doing to Ken not too far off.

Leon felt his hands sweat a little. _Curious._

He took off his jacket. He hadn't thought it was that warm inside, but it was now the later morning.

Sora felt something weird in her gut when he shrugged off his jacket and stood before her in his black high collared sleeveless shirt. Chalking it up to her having been bent over for too long, she smoothly rolled out of the position and stood up.

She smiled at him.

He discretely wiped his palms on his jacket. Whoever controlled the A/C better turn it on sometime soon.

"Do you want to go to the Cape Mary Carnival with me this Friday?"

His stomach gave a slight lurch. He frowned a little.

She mistook his frown for a coming negative answer. "Oh come on, Mr. Grumpy Pants! There'll be games, rides, kettle corn, caramel apples, and funnel cakes," he tilted his head at that, not recognizing that treat name but Sora did not notice the minuscule action, "and some shows! We deserve a break!"

His brain emphasized the 'we' part for some reason.

His stomach gave another lurch. Well then, that's the last time he tried a breakfast croissant at the cafe. This wasn't the first time he experienced indigestion.

He supposed that place was only good for their drinks.

"...and stuff like that. We'll be a small group."

He gave a slow blink at that. "Group?"

"Yeah, there's Rosetta, May, Ken," she ticked off her fingers as she said people's names, "me and you."

The back of his neck felt strange. It was like somebody ran their finger along it but only with the barest of touches. He smoothly pushed the hair hanging along his chest over his shoulder as the room still felt warm.

Where was that blasted A/C?

It was no wonder people were fainting left and right.

"I suppose it would be fine," he slowly started.

Her smile grew. "Great! I'll get your ticket after our practice!"

'Our' made him feel funny. Maybe there was something ailing him. He hoped it wasn't food poisoning or, heaven forbid, salmonella from the eggs he ate earlier.

_Most certainly not getting food from there again._

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AN: Oh Leon, you're too funny! XD


	6. Chapter 6

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Kalos was talking, but May tuned him out.

They were getting a short break because of the carnival, something about 'unnecessary to compete for audience,' and blah blah blah...

What was in front of her was more interesting.

Sora stood with Ken on her left and Leon on her right. The carrot top was trying to get the numbskull's attention by brushing his hand against hers. Predictably, she just moved more to her right which caused her to accidently bump into Leon, causing the usually impassive French acrobat to react.

May grinned to herself. She knew the silver hunk's secret.

Or should she say secrets?

She supposed they were related to each other, but it sounded even better if she said secrets. Really, it had taken her a while and a lot of Leon-watching to figure it out. He hid it so well, she had been baffled when she first came to that conclusion.

The first one was easy: Leon liked the redhead.

Why was still under scrutiny but in the long run it really wasn't important to May. The fact that he did proved a lot of entertainment for her since the little dummy was oblivious to it-though Ken's attempts at getting her attention was pathetically funny, May felt kind of bad laughing about it.

The second secret topped the whole scenario with a ridiculous load of whipped cream, fudge, nuts, and tons of cherries: The Pegasus of the Stage, the feared God of Death and the overall most wanted man in the circus world didn't know a thing about women.

She wanted to tell someone, but she knew people wouldn't believe her.

It took her a lot of reflection, starting with the issue of him dropping her during Dracula. When she was finally over him, she looked back at that moment and realized something mind blowing.

He had let go on accident.

When he had caught her after her special spin, she had looked up at him and in a moment of giddiness and flirtation, she winked up at him and offered him her neck with a smug tilt of her lips. She could recall his eyes had widened before he released her.

She had hit on him and freaked him out.

He realized his mistake and grabbed her before she fell, but that little action she did had startled Mr. Ice Block. She wouldn't be surprised if his other partners had done similar things.

That would mean he got the God of Death title on accident.

Boy oh boy...people would lock her up if she ever shared her theory, but she was confident in her assessment. May scrutinized his current reaction to Sora having bumped into him.

Stiff form, grey eyes _still _staring at his arm where they had contact with an intensity as if the redhead had pulled a sharpie out and drew a unicorn on his limb.

Female interaction was totally his Achilles' heel.

_I wonder what it's like to have your body reacting to a crush without knowing what it is._ She was positive that's what Leon was going through. She highly doubted he suddenly learned about women; he'd be reacting differently if he had. May blinked at that thought.

_How would he be if he did realize it was a crush?_

For a few seconds she played with the idea of telling him.

_Nah._

This situation was better than cable.

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	7. Chapter 7

AN: I'm glad people are amused by this story! :D

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When the summer carnival came in Cape Mary, the whole area waited in anticipation as the huge ferris wheel was set up, a sprinkling of roller coasters appeared and then the tall orange tent for the circus performances puffed out and came to life.

Once the big top was up and it's bright colored flags fluttering in the air, the people knew that the carnival was open.

Kalos and the carnival committee were old friends, so they were allowed a discounted price on everything plus the complementary show tickets for the big top. Ken, as the liaison for the stage, went up to the admissions booth to deal with the general admission tickets.

Leon took a whiff of the carnival food, smelling all sorts of sweets, barbecued meats, and the buttery saltiness of popcorn. The smells brought him back to his earlier memories with Sophie and the circuses they performed at. While they certainly had their rough patches, there were a few experiences that had been pretty enjoyable.

"Here's your bracelet Leon," came his partner's voice.

He pulled out of his thoughts at the sight of a very neon green plastic object in Sora's hand. He spotted the same bright green band around her wrist as well.

"It lets the ride and food people know that we get discounted prices," she explained.

When he still did not grab it from her, she thought to herself that maybe he didn't know how to put the bracelet on. _Do they have these things in Europe? _She smiled and then stepped up to him, lifting up his hand.

A zing shot up his arm upon contact. He flinched a little. _What in the world was that?_

Did she have a hand buzzer in her palm?

"You just kind of tear this part but not all the way," she said as she did what she described, "and then depending on how tight you want the bracelet, you put it in the hole where you want it, push the black thing through and then fold this over-snap!-and it's on!"

He looked at the bracelet and then looked at her.

He nodded. She felt her tummy squirm a little, but she took it as hunger.

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	8. Chapter 8

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Their little group walked through the game booths section until Sora and Rosetta wandered over to the ring-a-bottle game.

"Look Sora, you can win a goldfish!"

Immediately, the redhead's eyes lit up. "Really? That's amazing!"

May left to grab some kettle corn nearby while Leon and Ken came up behind the other two girls. Having heard Sora's excitement, Ken saw his opportunity.

"I can win you one," he offered.

"Oh," Sora blinked at that, "that's ok, I-"

The rest of what she was saying was ignored as Ken hailed the game person over.

_Be bold. Be confident. Stand your ground._

The dating book had offered him this advice before and he has seen it work. "I'll play." Ken passed over a few bucks and the person in the booth gave him five colored plastic rings.

"You need to get three rings around the bottles in order to get a fish. Get all five and you'll win a little aquarium for the lil guy."

_Five it is_, Ken told himself.

He tossed his first ring and it bounced off of the glass soda bottles. His shoulders slumped a little, but then he told himself he'll just buy her a proper fish bowl later on.

_Get three._ He needed three for a fish.

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May went to buy a second bag of kettle corn.

"Ken," Sora protested as he paid _yet again_ to play the game, "it's ok!"

"No," he huffed out, "I can do this."

Rosetta came back with an over stuffed teddy bear. "Look Sora! I won at the shooting game!"

The young Diabolo's win rubbed Ken the wrong way. Already Rosetta won three stuffed animals and a paper fan, but he has yet to win one lousy stinkin' _goldfish..._

He tossed. The ring bounced off _yet again_. The game was rigged, he knew it!

"Um Leon, could I put these in your car?"

Said man looked over at the bright stuffed toys in Rosetta's arms. He had volunteered his car to take all of them here, thinking it was nonsensical for each one to find their own rides. Though, something told him that he knew that Sora would appreciate the gesture.

Why? He didn't know.

There was something wrong with him, so he did not question any of his actions at the moment. He made his appointment with the doctor the Kaleido Stage was affiliated with for Monday at 9AM.

Until then he decided to just go with it.

"Alright," he said. And then the two were off to the parking lot.

Sora had seen the interaction and it made her smile. _It's nice to know he's becoming more social._ She turned back to the game when Ken let out a frustrated sound.

He pulled out his wallet only to see his money gone. "I'll be back."

"K."

May returned with her kettle corn. "So now what?"

Sora blinked at May and then turned to the game.

"Could I try?" she asked the game person, holding out some dollar bills.

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When Ken returned from the ATM, he saw Sora holding a little clear bag.

He gaped at the little goldfish swimming in it. "Y-You won one?"

May snickered. She couldn't hold the sound back. "In the first three tosses."

Sora beamed as she stared at her fishy friend. "He's got some black above his mouth like a mustache!" She giggled again as she thought of a name. "Does Mr. Charlie Chaplain work for you?"she cooed to the bag.

The fish wiggled. Sora took it as a 'yes.'

Ken took it as 'I'm a blasted, short lived, five dollar fish and I don't care.'

May took it as 'entertainment.'

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	9. Chapter 9

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When Leon and Rosetta came back from the car they continued on with the carnival visit.

"What did you name him?" Rosetta asked her beaming friend as she held the bag up.

"Charlie-san!"

Rosetta tilted her head, familiar with the suffixes of her Japanese friend's native language. She picked it up seeing as Sora liked to insert them every now and then.

"Isn't Mr. Charlie the name of the clown Anna likes?"

"Ah, that's right! I was thinking of Charlie Chaplin 'cause of the mustache." Sora shrugged. "But they are both funny, so it all works out."

While those two walked at the front of the group, Leon trailed behind with May and Ken at the back. May was finishing up her second bag of kettle corn when she spotted something up ahead on the right.

_Mirror Fun House._

Those closed off places are generally poorly lit and confusing with its maze of wacky mirrors. With one redheaded klutz, one female shy hunk, and one desperate guy looking for some attention, should their group really go into such an area?

_Hell yes. _

"Hey guys," May started with the beginnings of a mischievous grin, "let's check this out."

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The beginning of the fun house had some lights.

Sora giggled as her, Rosetta, Ken and even Charlie-san were elongated in the mirror. _So that's how I'd look if I was tall._ She bent her legs a little, giggling even more when her head was now morphed into a cone shape.

"Mr. Charlie looks like an orange eel!" Rosetta laughed.

"He does!" Sora agreed, not looking at her friend as she continued walking down the hallway of mirrors, laughing and gasping at the funny distortions the reflective surfaces showed her. Since she was too busy following her reflection, she did not notice that there was a fork in their path, most of her friends going the other way.

She skipped a little down the way, laughing at the strangeness of seeing herself tall and long; then suddenly robust and short.

"I look like a pancake here!" she giggled, turning to see her friend.

Rosetta was not the one with her.

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Now that they were further in the fun house, the lights were dim.

Ken, having thought that Sora was still next to him, started to talk. _Act casual. Don't freak her out._

"I'm sorry about not winning the fish for you." He paused to see himself in the new mirror. His shoulders were very broad and he couldn't help but lift his arm up and flex it. _So that's what it would look like with muscles. _

He had to admit, he looked pretty good. The image gave him a boost of confidence. Putting on his charming smile, he spoke as he turned around.

"Let me buy you dinner."

His eyes widened as he looked at the startled expression of the teen behind him.

_That's not Sora._

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Sora blinked at Leon lifting a hand up and down, watching the distortion in the mirror.

The action struck her for she had not really seen him play around before. While she has seen him as goofy, that had only been for a role in a show. He had visibly struggled with that role; everyone, whether they could read his impassive face or not, could tell. He didn't mask the frustration-or couldn't, she wasn't sure which-but all in all, he had done a pretty great job.

He was helping in her dream stage and she couldn't be happier.

Though, she did wonder where the rest of her friends were.

"What happened to the others?"

Leon looked away from the mirror and then gave a slight shrug. "They went to the right. You went to the left."

She tilted her head at the way he phrased it. "You went left too." Why didn't he say that he chose the left as well? He made it sound like...her going left made him go left...

He shrugged again. "It's not safe to go alone."

_So he did follow me._ Something tickled the inside of her stomach.

"Oh."

She turned around and started walking again. A few seconds ticked by and then she realized that her simple response may have come off as ungrateful. Turning back around, she started to thank him for coming with her when the already dim light bulbs above them sputtered out.

They were plunged into darkness.

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	10. Chapter 10

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Ken's confidence ebbed when he saw that it was not Sora that was behind him.

May's electric blue eyes were a little wide upon hearing his declaration.

Embarrassed that he had said that to the wrong girl, he mumbled an inaudible apology and then quickly fast walked to catch up with Rosetta. _I can't believe I said that to May! _The Chinese acrobat was blunt and quick to tease._  
_

He was never going to live this down, he just knew it.

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Following the lights going out, Sora eeped and then Leon heard a thud.

_She must have tripped on something._ Though he didn't think there was anything in the hallway for her to stumble over.

"Are you well?"

"Yeah, um. Just-" she paused in her speaking as the slushing of water from the goldfish's bag sounded. "I probably freaked out Charlie-san."

"He'll live," came Leon's response.

There was a pause in the darkness. Then...

"Could you help me up?"

Leon nodded his head out of habit even though she could not see it. She heard his light steps as he came near her.

"Speak so that I may find you."

"Oh, right." She stayed in place, figuring that it would be easier than trying to blindly stand up only to fall down again. "Soooo...Did you see that moon last night?"

He carefully stepped closer. "Yes."

"It seemed pretty big huh?"

He shrugged. The moon was the moon. "I suppose it did." He seemed to be near. "Stick out your arm."

She did as he said. "I like nature watching. Moons, stars, animals, the ocean..."

As she spoke, he frowned as he touched something squishy. For a moment, he thought it was the water bag of the goldfish, but as she let out a squeak in the middle of her listing and he registered the fact that the plushness felt warm rather than cool as water was oft to feel like, he realized with a startling clarity that he was _not _touching the goldfish.

His brain shut down at the overload the clarity gave him.

Instead of going quiet, Sora's brain malfunctioned and made her overly chatty. "I, um, er, ah, erm, _demo_, _nani..." _

She switched to Japanese without meaning to.

Her brain was not sure what to do given that she had not been in such a situation before, especially with someone who wasn't a pervert. With perverts, it was easy to just slap them and then the situation was over with. But what did protocol say for non-perverts? As far as she knew, Leon was not one so the fondling was an accident.

_Is, _her mind corrected. _He's still got his hand there._

Ah. Well that's something she could fix...

"_Demo, _ah, um. Leon, could you get your hand off of-"

His hand withdrew like he had put it on a hot burner.

His brain slowly turned on with that action. "_I apologize__,_" he murmured, only to realize that he had said it in French. He swallowed hard, his mouth dry for some reason or other and his hand still prickling with the sensation of her warm, plush-

_Stop. _He got his mind back under control.

"I, that is," he shook his head under the guise of the darkness as he suddenly found it hard to speak. He regained _most _of his control. "That was not my intention," he finally said.

"I, er, didn't think so."

There was a very long pause.

"How about I reach out to you?" Sora finally suggested.

"Please."

He would like to avoid that disaster again...Though, his hand seemed to think otherwise, what with it still tingling-_Desist._ His mind quieted for a little.

Her fingers grazed his bare forearm, shooting so many electric pulses throughout his body. His mind underwent a second meltdown upon her touch.

There was something _extremely _wrong with him.

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AN: Yes. I did.

Or should I say Leon did? XP


	11. Chapter 11

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The fun house had turned out to be a flop.

May huffed and threw a pigtail over her shoulder. She could have done without the whole Ken incident, but whatever. It occurred and now it was time for other things.

"Last stop for food before we head for the big top!" she barked out.

Sora, having been unusually quiet after the fun house, perked up. _Funnel cake time!_ She turned to her right, spotted Leon and continued, making a complete turn to her left. She wasn't quite ready to start talking to him again.

"Rosetta, could you hold Charlie-san for a moment?"

"Sure!"

With that, the redhead was off. May went another way and Ken sulked nearby. While embarrassed withe what occurred in the fun house, Leon's eyes still tracked Sora's form to make sure she was ok. Upon looking at where she stopped, he spotted some signs of other foods.

Turkey legs, hot dogs, tacos...He raised a brow at the deep fried items booth.

_Deep fried butter?_

And he thought he had issues.

Meanwhile, Rosetta was looking at the goldfish until a kid came up to her for an autograph. The young Diabolo protege agreed with a smile, momentarily putting Charlie-san down on the counter of the booth next to her.

"What's your name?"

"Charlotte."

The two chatted a little as Rosetta wrote. Once done, she waved the girl good bye and then turned to grab the bag with the fishy friend inside.

There was nothing there.

Frantic, Rosetta looked around in case the bag rolled off the counter but she couldn't find it. When she realized what she had done, she went over to Ken with tears threatening to come out.

"I lost Charlie-san!"

Ken stayed leaning against the railing of the booth he was next to. "Who?"

"Mr. Charlie Chaplin! Sora's goldfish!"

That immediately got his attention. _A second chance!_ "Where did you last see him?"

Rosetta pointed over to the blue and yellow booth. Ken straightened up and went over to investigate. The younger teen rambled about what happened while Ken hmmed and looked about. The only conclusion he could come to was that someone took him. Just when he realized this, Ken spotted a boy close by with a goldfish in a bag.

He had seen that kid earlier. He didn't have a goldfish before.

"I found him," he reassured Rosetta, "Stay here while I get him."

Rosetta nodded and clasped her hands together. "Thanks Ken!"

The gratitude made him feel better.

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As Ken stepped up to the boy, he noticed that the kid was shaking the bag rather harshly.

He paled, not wanting to return the goldfish injured.

"Hey kid," upon hearing Ken address him, the boy paused in his rough handling, "That's not your goldfish."

"Says who?" came the boy's petulant voice.

Ken sternly crossed his arms, hoping to look like a figure of authority. "Says me, so give it back."

The boy frowned. "No way. I found him, I get to keep him."

Ken sighed. There went the stern adult image he was going for. _I don't have the energy to deal with this. _But it was Sora's fish so he was sure the teen would be grateful for the retrieval. A change in tactics was in order.

"Alright. How about for five bucks you give me that fish?"

"Ten."

Ken nearly blanched. There was no way he was paying that much for one little fish. "Seven."

The kid nodded. "Done."

Ken pulled out the money and the kid gave him the fish. After the exchange the kid's mother called out to him. The kid put the money in his pocket and then ran off. Ken smiled to himself at a job well done and returned to his group with the fish.

By then, Sora was back with her funnel cake and strawberries, but there was a slight frown on her face.

"Oh Ken! Rosetta told me what happened!"

The carrot top puffed out his chest a little. "Don't worry, I've found him." He lifted the bag up proudly so the whole group could see. He watched as Sora smiled, but then it waned.

"Is it normal for fish to be upside down?"

Ken stared at the bag and sure enough, the little goldfish was belly up and not moving.

_Will nothing go right today?!_

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	12. Chapter 12

AN: I'm sorry about Charlie-san, but the idea had been too tempting to pass on! XD

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They sat in their VIP seating area, but Sora couldn't get into the show.

She sighed despondently as she picked at the funnel cake but didn't eat it. How could she enjoy the treat when Charlie-san was no longer alive?

Next to her, Rosetta patted her friend's shoulder. "It'll be ok, Sora. Ken said he buried him in the true fishy fashion."

May flatly stared at the carrot top. _Fishy fashion?_ Pfft. Did they know that meant he just flushed him down the toilet?

Ken caught May's stare and saw the slow grin on her face. He could tell what was on her mind, especially since the grin appeared after Rosetta's comment. He grabbed her forearm and leaned in.

"Don't you dare tell them."

May rolled her eyes and shrugged his hand off of her. "Whatever."

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At the intermission, Leon mysterious disappeared, but the group wasn't worried.

He was the least likely to get into trouble.

Though, after the incident in the fun house, Sora wondered if that train of thought was still valid. _That had been an accident_. She was a little afraid to see what he'd do for something purposefully mischievous.

The crowd began returning to their seats and so did the rest of the gang.

Sora plopped herself back down with her untouched funnel cake and sighed, once more.

"You can stop doing that," came the voice of her partner.

She turned her head to the right to tell him to buzz off and let her grieve when she saw what was in his hands. "Is that-" she cut off when the clear aquarium container was lifted up for her to grab. She blinked as several little goldfish wiggled and swam around in their rectangular home. A big smile graced her face and she took the fish from him.

"Thank you Leon!"

He gave a slow blink, but then nodded.

As long as she wasn't sighing ever five minutes, the little detour had been worth it.

Ken, on the other hand, blanched as he counted at least five fish in the container. "How many rounds of that game did you play?!"

"Two," Leon tonelessly stated as he took his seat behind Sora.

Ken's jaw dropped. The number of fish and the rounds he played didn't match up at all. "But that's not how the game goes! You had to play at least five rounds for five fish!"

Leon shrugged. He didn't get it either.

Too busy munching on her funnel cake and naming her fish, Sora turned to Leon with the container in hand, not knowing that the action made Ken fume even more over the goldfish issue.

"You should name one."

Leon stared at her and then the tank. Most of them looked the same to him, but there was one in particular that had dark markings around his mouth like a permanent smile.

"Happy," he said, pointing at the one he was naming.

Ken scoffed. _That was real original. _They should just name another one Doopy, Grumpy, and-

"I like it!" Sora beamed, taking in the one Leon had named. "Happy-san it is!"

_Why do I even bother?_ Ken asked himself in a moment of self pity.

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	13. Chapter 13

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The ferris wheel was the last ride on their agenda.

Sora and Rosetta were in one cart, leaving Ken with May. Leon opted out, instead watching them from the ground level.

Ken sighed, unknowingly mimicking Sora's despondent behavior from earlier, though the girl was anything but sad now, what with the little aquarium Leon won for her.

What Ken would give to know how Leon got all of those fish within only two games...

"Oh chill out," May said as she looked outside their compartment window to see the whole carnival grounds. "We'll just snag some dinner and then we can leave."

He gave May a flat look. How can he relax when he was failing in every way to get Sora?

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They headed over to the food booths soon after.

Sora was off to the side, crumpling a piece of some crackers she got and sprinkling the uncovered fish aquarium with the makeshift food. She smiled when Happy-san and the others went to the top and sucked in the crumbs.

"Share, Momo-chan," she admonished the solid peachy-orange goldfish as it gulped up the most crumbs.

She sprinkled some more, making sure it was away from Momo-chan's vacuum of a mouth and then closed the lid. Sora was wiping the remaining crumbs from her hand with a napkin when she spotted Leon across the way waiting for his food order.

He was slowly blinking one eye over and over again.

She tilted her head.

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Ken sullenly made his way over to the table Sora was sitting at when he noted the direction she was staring. He wasn't surprised that it was Leon she was looking at-especially after the man got her a tank full of goldfish-but he was surprised by what Leon was doing.

The silver haired man was winking at Sora.

_Pshh. Like that's going to get her to come over..._

Ken nearly dropped his chili cheese dog when the redhead promptly got out of her seat, leaving her fish behind to go over to Leon.

_What in the world?!_

He was even more aghast when the man leaned his head down incredibly close to hers.

Forget about wanting to know how Leon got the fish; he wanted to know what dating book Leon took lessons from...

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Leon closed his eye again and then opened it, his vision clearer.

"Can you see better now?" Sora piped up.

He gave a nod. His contact lens had folded a little and then moved off to the side.

Sora, having seen him do the slow blinking thing before during their practices, came over to tell him where it was so he didn't poke his eye while moving it with his finger.

She had first seen his contacts during their first Swan Lake performances when she bent a little above him; and upon seeing the faint circle of the lens around his irises, she had bent down even more to see them.

What she didn't notice was that he had subconsciously leaned forward during this moment of distraction and perusal. Leon still didn't know what to make of his action. He could only chalk it up to fatigue.

Personally, Sora thought that his eyes stood out more without the contacts, but he couldn't perform trapeze with a pair of glasses on.

No, that wouldn't be practical.

She giggled at the thought of his glasses flying off of his face in the middle of a performance. She imagined those big, squarish shaped frames people were wearing lately.

"Would you wear hipster glasses, if you could?" She voiced out playfully.

He quirked a brow.

He didn't know what type of glasses those were but he didn't want to seem ignorant, especially since he was still being asked by strangers if they needed to come with him to get a drink or food.

"Not in particular," he settled for.

She grinned at him, making his insides lurch again. He looked away from her face and spotted her fish on the table. "You should be near your fish before someone steals them again."

"It's ok," she waved off, pulling out her wallet to buy some food. "Ken's over there. He'll look out for them."

"He brought back your fish dead," he tonelessly stated.

She pushed at his arm. "Don't worry so much!"

The nerves in his arm were spazzing out. He was very worried about the state of whatever ailment he had. He just hoped it wasn't too far along to do something about it.

"Number 45! Order number 45!"

Leon gratefully left her side to get his order. It wouldn't do to have her catch whatever was wrong with him.

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	14. Chapter 14

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Monday morning at a quarter to 9, Leon carefully drove himself to the doctor's.

The lady at the front desk was used to him arriving early for his appointment, having seen him around every so often for routine check ups after his fall during a performance. She never got around to seeing Romeo and Juliet, but she was sure he had been fantastic, if his current performances were any indicator.

The man was a heartthrob, that was for sure. It was just a pity she was already taken.

"Good morning, Mr. Oswald." She handed him a pen to sign in, the action flashing her French manicure in an unnecessary show for him to compliment her on. Married she may be, but it was still nice to receive compliments.

Leon didn't notice. He was struggling to not panic.

After the carnival his condition worsened on Saturday, Sunday, and even this morning when he woke up. His heart rate had been rather fast and given his late mother's heart condition, he was worried that he had a similar disposition. He supposed it was showing up late in his life, but that was not something he really thought about.

It was a dire, life changing situation; and not only for his career but in his personal life as well.

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Dr. Kate sat comfortably in her office, stirring some coffee as she looked over today's schedule.

Mrs. Minton's schedule was pushed back-as was expected-to Wednesday at 1:15PM, seeing as her prescription came in late.

Then there was the result of a formal pregnancy test to tell at noon. Kate smiled. The couple had been trying to get pregnant for a while now. She was glad to tell them some good news for once.

Just as she spotted that Mr. Leon Oswald was coming in to see her today, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The office's assistant nurse came inside quickly, some black strands from her loose bun whipping about her head as she closed the door. Kate frowned as the young woman's lips were tightly pressed together and her hands clutching the clipboard as some sort of anchor keeping her together.

"Tamara, what's wrong?"

Tamara's dark eyes were growing wider as she attempted to get a hold of her emotions only to pathetically fail in the next couple of seconds.

"Bhwahaha!" she pitched over as she finally let it out. "I've never heard a grown man - not even as an intern! Hahaha!"

Before Kate could ask her what was so funny, Tamara held up the clipboard while still bent over. "My side!" Tamara cried out as the humor of it all was becoming too much for her.

Kate took it, seeing Mr. Leon Oswald's name at the top of the paper.

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Patiently - if you discount his crossed leg bouncing over his knee - Leon sat in one of the rooms.

The nurse's tense form as Leon described his symptoms had him extremely worried. He really wasn't a worrier but how could he not be, given the negative reactions of the nurse and the stiff way she left the room? Obviously, the doctor was needed ASAP and there was not a moment to lose.

His leg bounced even faster.

He tried looking at the painting in the room with the boat in the water but he's already seen it before. Whenever he came, he always seemed to be put in the same room.

_Unfortunate. _

But not really helping him calm down right now.

He thought about yesterday's practice, and then switched to the memory of his dream when his insides squirmed. Sadly, the dream only made him even more sick feeling so he went to the memory of the tank of goldfish.

Thinking that a recollection of wiggling orange things with eyes would distract him, he began to relax.

However, the sudden flash of big, brown eyes looking at him beyond the fish tank had him recalling his dream of her standing in front of him in some random park and his hand had found its way back to her chest. It had felt so real and surreal, he had thought it was actually occurring. However, when Sora only giggled about it, he knew it wasn't real but he was still screaming at himself to _get his hand off - _an action his dream self wasn't inclined on doing. Then, dream Sora merely touched his arm, her slender fingers trailing up and up without pause, causing his world to collapse with the onslaught of electricity he was feeling.

He had awoken for that part, his senses abuzz and his conscience appalled with his dream self for doing such a thing.

Leon frowned as his insides were a mess from the recollection. _Not helping._ As a last resort, he began to recite an old nursery rhyme in his head, hoping that would take his mind off of things.

_Frère Jacques, __Frère Jacques, Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous..._

The door to the room opened. _Finally..._

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AN: I just _had _ to skip to the doctor's visit! Couldn't wait to get this out!


	15. Chapter 15

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Dr. Kate wiped the slight frown on her face as she re-read what Tamara wrote down as Mr. Oswald's symptoms.

The young woman was known to exaggerate, so Kate was determined to clarify things with Leon face to face before she made any assumptions.

"Hello again, Mr. Oswald." She idly noted that his leg continued to bounce a little. She noted down 'jittery' to the list of symptoms. "How are you feeling this morning?"

He felt like he was waiting for his death sentence.

"...Fine, aside from the symptoms previously mentioned."

Kate shifted her feet and made sure to keep the conversation casual. "About your symptoms..." her periwinkle eyes looked down to the clipboard, missing the tenseness of Leon's shoulders. Kate read the 'fuzzy tummy feelings ;P ' written by Tamara and re-worded it in her head. "You are experiencing stomach problems?"

He nodded.

"And have you experienced any vomiting or diarrhea?"

He gave a slow shake in the negative. She noted that down.

"Have you noticed a pattern when these stomach issues occur?"

He nodded, his face grave.

"Is it when you eat?"

He stayed still as he thought about it. Most times, it occurs long _after_ eating..._ Curious._ He had not noted that. So could it still be food related? The idea that it wasn't food related made him more nervous.

"No."

"So it's unlikely to be food allergies," she said to herself. "It says here..."she paused to translate Tamara's words, "that you experience shortness of breath and sweaty palms. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Rapid pulse."

"Yes."

"Trouble falling asleep as well as having a full night's worth of rest."

"Most nights."

Her pencil paused over Tamara's diagnostic with little hearts around it. Kate had thought her being ridiculous when she burst out laughing about it, but the more Kate talked with Leon, she was starting to wonder.

_I cannot believe I'm going to ask this..._

"...would you say the stomach feeling..." her pencil tapped the clipboard a few times, "would you describe it as, oh I don't know...like getting sucker punched right in the gut?"

When Leon suddenly straightened up, she felt her jaw beginning to unhinge, but the professional side of her kept it closed.

"Yes," he said with a decisive nod.

"...a sort of fluttering sensation as well?"

Leon blinked. He hadn't thought of it like that, but now that she mentioned it, it _was _like that. The corner of Kate's mouth twitched. Leon sobered upon seeing it.

"What is the matter with me?" He grimly asked. "Is it life threatening?"

Her mouth twitched again. "Potentially," she half squeaked out before she cleared her throat. "But if you go through the treatments correctly, it will be life enriching."

That had him confused, but he gave a slow nod to it anyways.

"So, Mr. Oswald, when you experience these symptoms, are there certain people around?" She gave her throat another clearing in an attempt to get rid of the laughter that wanted to come out. "Or even if you're _thinking _of the same person - or persons - during these reactions?"

This doctor was _incredible_. She deserves a raise or bonus for her accuracy and acute mind.

"Yes."

She suddenly looked down at the clipboard and started writing. "Now Mr. Oswald, I'm going to give you a simple instruction that is vital for you to do the next time you experience these symptoms." She folded the note and handed it to him. "Do this to the person- or persons- that are around during these reactions."

He did not take the paper yet. "These symptoms...they are not dangerous?"

She couldn't help it, she chuckled. "Some might say they are, but most everyone experiences them at some point in their lives." When he gave a light frown, she added, "As a professional speaking, I say that you are ok, Mr. Oswald. This is normal."

A few seconds passed and then he took the paper.

"I shall follow this instruction," he vowed, and then left the room.

Kate shook her head and laughed to herself. In all her life, she had never diagnosed a 22 year old man with the love bug...If it weren't for the doctor-client privacy, she'd tell Jerry in a heartbeat._  
_

"Well, you were right Tamara."

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AN: My my, Dr. Kate. What did you instruct?


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Sorry for the wait! I don't have as much time as I used to, but I will update my stories! :)

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Leon was balancing on a swing in a one arm handstand. He breathed in, and then he breathed out in a slow manner. _  
_

_Focus_...

_Balance_...

_Stillness._..

The swing did not stir as he continued his exercise. Faintly, he heard the clinking of a swing. He had been staring unseeingly at the net below them, but the sound from his partner moving about made him look up. Sora was doing a handstand with both of her hands and he looked up in time to see her perfectly straight legs slowly part from one another as she did the splits in the air.

Leon's form wavered on the swing. He softly cursed to himself for being distracted.

_Focus._

_Balance _-

His head had turned back downwards, but his eye involuntarily went to her. The swing wiggled as he fought for balance. _Eyes closed._ Yes, that seemed like a good idea. He restarted his mantra, finally going through the whole round of words without being distracted. He went through them again.

_Focus. _On her curvy legs, his mind added. He frowned to himself. That was unexpected.

_Balance. _His emotions were the furthest thing from being at equilibrium, especially with his mind still thinking about her legs. And her tan skin. Her vibrant red hair, fluffy...

Did it feel as soft as it looked to be?

_Stillness._ If he was thinking about his stomach, then no, he was not achieving stillness. The 'fluttering' that Dr. Kate described felt sort of sharp, but strangely not really painful.

How was this _normal_?

His frown grew deeper as the swing shook as he fought for balance. He let out a long breath and got out of the position he was in. His arm was burning enough anyways. He sat on the swing, trying to catch his breath, but his pulse was still rather fast.

Sora was still doing her exercises, her agile body contorting along the ropes and the bar of the swing.

His stomach lurched. He suddenly stood up on his swing as his symptoms returned with a strong force. Dr. Kate had prescribed an instruction and he was determined to follow through with it. He thought of the words on the paper for him to say and, after clearing his throat, he called out to Sora.

The redhead paused and turned to him with her usual smile.

"Will you go out with me?" his voice thundered in the room.

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AN: Playing matchmaker, Dr. Kate? :P


	17. Chapter 17

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Every girl, since the dawn of time, regardless of whether they miss the most obvious or not, has seen or heard that phrase in action.

Sora was no exception.

Her face exploded with red. _Did - did he just -_ her mind cut off there as the sudden question made her lose balance and nearly fall off of the swing. She squeaked and quickly righted herself.

She heard him, loud and clear, though it was said pretty gravely like he was asking her to take out a splinter in his eye but she knew that her partner wasn't Mr. Social. She really didn't take offence to the tone, especially since it took a lot to get her really upset.

_But the question!_ He asked her out; she hadn't known he thought of her like that. Though, the question now was...did she think of him like that?

She thought about Happy-san, Momo-chan, and the others merrily swimming in her newer and larger fish tank in her dorm room and how she'd grin whenever she saw them. She stole a glance at the giver of such a wonderful gift and blushed even harder.

Well now, that had been easy to figure out. _Wow.  
_

"_Demo, _L-Leon," her face was so hot, she barely restrained the urge to look away for fear of combusting, "When would you like to - ah, you know..."

Leon tilted his head. He thought that was a no brainer...

"Now."

"_N-Nani?!"__  
_

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	18. Chapter 18

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Leon stiffly stood next to Sora as they looked down at the ocean.

Still in their practice clothes, Leon was tempted to remove his fingerless gloves, but he couldn't really move at the moment. His pulse was even faster, his palms sweaty and he didn't think it was because of the practice. Dr. Kate said asking the person out would make him feel better, but it was just the opposite. The symptoms were even stronger than before...

He ventured a glance over at Sora only to accidently connect eyes with her as she had done the same thing.

Both turned their heads away.

Sora fiddled with her shirt's hem as the blush made its way down her neck. Leon was frantic inside as his heart _skipped a beat_, making him wonder if he needed to call the ambulance for fear of having a stroke.

"Ah, Leon?"

He made some sound to indicate that he was listening, but kept his head turned away. Sora wet her lips, not knowing how to broach the subject without offending.

"A-Are we going elsewhere?"

They have been standing out here for a good fifteen to twenty minutes without any mentioning of where he planned to take her for their date.

He gave a slow blink. _Elsewhere?_

He asked her out and they were out. Why would they be going somewhere else?

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AN: Oh Leon, that's not what Dr. Kate meant! XD


	19. Chapter 19

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When he still did not answer her, Sora frowned a little.

Was it just her or did he look confused? Lost? Baffled?

Whatever it was, she hadn't thought he could look that way. The seconds continued on, and she realized that maybe he wasn't sure where she would like to go and was waiting for her input.

_How considerate!_

"Leon," she started, her sweet smile not doing anything to help his impending stroke, "where would you like to go?"

That made him pause in his climbing stress level. _Go?_ Good grief, was she going to ask him if he needed company to get food as well? He hoped that's not what she meant...

While he was silently thinking, she started listing places.

"I mean, there's the skating rink, the beach, the pool..." she paused as she recalled what else was around. She beamed up at him, causing his heart attack issue to resurface, "We can go to the aquarium a little ways off. I like fish," she added, bashfully twirling a lock of her hair as she finished with, "but I think you already know that, what with Happy-san and the others."

_It's happening, _he numbly thought as his pulse raced way too fast.

The stress and worry, coupled with the previous symptoms and the sight of her red cheeks and bashfulness - why her appearance made a difference to his condition still baffled him - he registered that his body felt heavy and his vision unfocused.

"Leon?" came her voice a little echo-y.

Concerned at the sight of his drooping eyes, she reached a hand to touch his arm and only achieved in landing the final blow to his condition. He felt an extreme thrill run along his body and then his eyes rolled back.

He faintly heard her scream as he passed out.

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AN: And he gets a taste of his own medicine! haha! I guess that's what happens to the Leon fans, except he's a Sora fan. ;P


	20. Chapter 20

AN: I managed to have time to do a drabble!

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Voices slowly filtered into Leon's brain, but his senses were still off.

He could tell that something propped his head and he was outside, seeing as seagulls cried around him. But he couldn't seem to open his eyes for some reason. His head felt like there was fluff in it and his lids were too heavy...

A bottle was uncorked and then he smelled something sharp.

He grimaced as he jerked his head away from the smell. "-way from me," he groggily demanded. He heard the unmistakable exclamation of his partner as he lifted a hand to rub his eyes.

"Leon!"

He abruptly stilled as he realized that the voice came right above him. He opened his eyes and stared at Sora's face from upside down, her eyes a little glossy from impending tears. _She can't be that close to me unless..._ He turned his head to the side as far as he could, spotting some black spandex and her tan skin.

His head was on her lap.

Her. Lap.

His pulse started racing again.

"Mr. Oswald," called out Dr. Kate from her kneeling position right next to him. He gladly focused his attention on the doctor rather than the fact that he was partly on top of Sora. "How are you feeling?"

He blinked once at the doctor. Blinked twice at Sora's worried face and then quickly looked back at the doctor went the earlier symptoms started up again.

"I underwent a cardiac arrest," he gravely informed the doctor.

Sora softly gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. Dr. Kate did the same, but she quickly cleared her throat for several moments and even coughed.

"Can Leon still be my partner?" Sora asked with some sorrow. She was thinking about Ken's condition that led him off of the stage back when he first came to the stage. She wasn't sure what she'd do if Leon couldn't perform with her anymore. Sure, she'd still want to go on dates with him, but, well, they've been a pair for over two years now.

The stage wouldn't be the same without him.

Her eyes watered some more. She looked down at his solemn face, the action causing a tear to slip out. "I'll still go out with you," she firmly told him, placing a hand on the side of his face. "Heart problems or not."

His heart thudded loudly, immediately prompting Leon to look at Dr. Kate to diagnose him. Kate's hand was pressed tightly against her mouth as she watched the duo's interaction. _Their faces..._ Sora looked like she just found out he had a terminal disease and Leon's expression was practically begging Kate to _fix him._

A chortle came out, but Kate quickly covered it over with a cough. She took a moment to compose herself and then she folded her hands on her lap.

"Mr. Oswald, your heart is fine."

Sora sighed with relief. Leon looked skeptical.

"Your symptoms are normal," Kate reiterated. "Just follow my instructions thoroughly, let the symptoms come, whether they're stronger or not, and you'll do fine." With a chuckle, she took in the both of them in front of her. "You might come to like them."

"Is there anything I can do?" Sora asked.

Kate smiled. "Make sure he eats something."

Sora nodded decidedly and Leon gave Kate a flat stare.

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AN: Thank you for the reviews! :D


	21. Chapter 21

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In the cafeteria, May watched from her table as Sora and Leon entered.

A few heads turned to look at Leon's silver hair as it floated as he walked. May rolled her eyes as dreamy sighs sounded around her. She took a bite of her sandwich, still watching their progression. Leon sullenly walked, but it must have been too slow for Sora or something for the redhead turned towards him in order to grasp his hand.

May took a breath in and proceeded to half choke on her food.

She coughed out some tomato and bread and quickly grabbed her cup to soothe her throat. The drama was unveiling some more.

_Finally!_

What with the end of her Netflix free trial, she was out of TV shows and movies to watch, having exhaust YouTube and Hulu already. There was the same old stuff even though there were new shows. The plots were too similar for her tastes.

She saw Sora's mouth moving, but she couldn't quite hear what was being said. _Darn!_

Quickly thinking of what to do, she got up to snag some other food item.

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A thrill washed over him when she grabbed his hand.

He reminded himself of Dr. Kate's words and let it travel instead of stressing over it. He slowly blinked as the feeling of her hand in his settled into a warm, comfortable feeling.

_Curious._

She went into the food line and he followed, still holding onto her hand.

"We can share a tray," she chirruped, flashing a smile at him when he continued to hold hands. She grabbed a tray with her free hand and moved down the line.

"Salad?" she asked.

He slowly shook his head, the warmth in him making him feel languid and relaxed. His earlier indignation of having her come get food with him passed somewhat as he took some comfort in her presence instead of worrying over his symptoms.

What a difference attitude had over how he reacted to his condition.

Sora hummed a little as they passed that section and onto the soups and pasta section. She grabbed a soup bowl for some chili, putting the bowl down and then uncovering the lid with the saucy beans and meat. As she scooped some in her bowl, Leon peered at the labels of the other options. Sora smiled as he silently debated what to get.

"You've not been in here before, right?"

"No," he murmured, finally grabbing a bowl but still not sure what to get though he knew he was interested in getting one of these options.

"You can mix them up," she suggested, "if one soup lacks something that you want from another one."

He had not considered that. He gave a nod to her in a silent thanks; she beamed back at him and then proceeded to sprinkle some cheddar cheese on the chili. He waited for the initial shakiness that came with her smile to lessen and then he uncovered a lid.

Sora was putting a dollop of sour cream when she thought of something.

"Ah, Leon," she started, a light pink appearing on her cheeks, "does this count as our date?"

He may not have been aware what asking someone out meant, but the word 'date' was definitely recognizable to him, having trained himself to come over when a boy asked Sophie on a date so he could ward the boy away.

_Date Date Date Date Date __Date Date Date Date Date... _

The metal ladle slipped out of his hand, loudly clattering onto the counter.

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	22. Chapter 22

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_When...what...how...?_

Leon was tongue tied and wide eyed as he drilled a hole into the Tomato Parmesan Vegetable soup. His hand loosened from hers without realizing it as his arm went limp from the shock, his head feeling like a bunch of air went into it and it was now floating around like a balloon.

_When? _He asked himself again, still baffled about why Sora was asking him this.

May was stiff behind them as she avidly watched. Here was a guy that didn't know about crushes and women and Sora just pops the question on him from out of nowhere.

This was so so much better than Hulu...

Sora didn't notice May's staring nor the moment when the occupants of the cafeteria turned to look when Leon dropped the metal spoon. When nothing else happened, they turned away from Leon except for Sora and May.

Sora's smile faltered when she felt his hand release hers.

"Did I say something wrong?" She was fine if this was their date, she hadn't brought it up in order to complain. She just wanted to be clear if it was or not. But the way he was acting had her lightly frowning.

_Why won't he answer?_

Leon swallowed as he attempted to gather his thoughts. "Why - When -" he paused as he couldn't find a way to begin. "What makes you think we're on a date?"

She awkwardly rubbed her hand along her arm. "Well, you asked me out on a date and here we are."

_Asked me out Asked me out Asked me out... _He nearly gaped at her. Was that what the phrase meant?

"I hadn't meant to."

Immediately, her smile faded away completely. "What?"

He ran a hand through his hair, the once comfortable warmth dissipating fast. "I, Dr. Kate had instructed me to ask out the one who caused my symptoms."

Sora blinked at the strangeness of his words, her hurt being pushed aside in favor of finding out what the heck he was talking about. "What symptoms?"

He couldn't believe he was discussing this in a _cafeteria_ of all places...

"Dry mouth, rapid pulse, fluttering sensations," he looked down at his bowl of soup, "other such things."

He waited for her to say something, but time slipped by without a word from her. He chanced a glance at her and did a double take when he saw that her face was extremely red again. She had been that way when he first asked her out. He quickly looked away as the symptoms returned.

"Y-You feel that way around _me_?"

He gave a slow nod, but still faced away from her. She stepped close to him, looking over his face to catch a glimpse of something, anything that would demonstrate what he just told her. Her hand laid on his on the counter and her smile returned upon seeing him swallow hard.

"I get those feelings too," she quietly confessed.

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	23. Chapter 23

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His head sharply turned to hers, seeing the sincerity shining in her eyes.

He started to speak when the people in line behind them grouched for them to get a move on. Sora sheepishly apologized and pulled their tray along to the Build Your Own Sandwich section.

She was a little flustered as she picked out her bread slices and started putting some mayo on it. He followed suit, skipping the mayo and putting some honey mustard instead. As he picked out some pieces of garlic chicken he noticed that she was staring at him with her bottom lip between her teeth.

The sight made his gut squirm.

He looked away and started grabbing some pickles even though he didn't particularly like them in his food, but he was flustered as well and desperate to bring his attention to something other than her pink lips. Unfortunately for his taste buds the pickles had been the closest thing to him at the moment.

"Regardless of what Dr. Kate said," she asked as she grabbed some tomatoes for her sandwich and then some horse radish without really realizing what she was putting on her bread, "would you like to go on a date with me?"

He paused in adding yet another pickle on his sandwich. _Go on a date with Sora?_ He really hadn't thought about it before - especially dating in general. His sister had been the outgoing one and the one people wanted to go on dates with, despite her being the younger sibling.

He hadn't been asked out before.

He didn't know the first thing about dating other than the fact that the guy traditionally asked, but he had started to notice that the girls were asking as well - though not based on first hand experience.

He was a newbie to it. He probably shouldn't agree. He was going to mess it up somehow.

But he thought of her smile when he got her the fish, he thought of a few minutes ago when they were holding hands and she was all smiley and sunny around him.

And then her confession of having a similar affliction as him...

"If you don't mind," he lowly started, his eyes fixed on the mountain of pickles hiding his chicken, "then yes," he managed to get himself to look at her, "I would like to."

Her smile was so big that her teeth showed and her cheeks nearly hid her eyes. "Of course I don't mind," she laughed. "That's why I asked you."

He felt that warmth again and it made him loosen the smallest of smiles on his face. "Good," he said. Instead of leaving it there, he felt inspired to add in another thing, even though it wasn't related to what they were just talking about and he would be revealing that he had been distracted this entire time at this section of the food line.

"Do you like pickles?" he gestured to his sandwich, "I do not care for them."

She laughed again. "We can swap if you like horse radishes. I don't like them."

The small smile on his face grew just a tiny bit as she revealed her own distracted behavior.

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	24. Chapter 24

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The day was starting off bad for Ken.

First, he found a hole in his jeans which happened to be the very jeans that held Emma's phone number. He had forgotten about it, what with the happenings of the carnival and today he spotted the jeans hanging half out of his laundry hamper. Feeling like a little attention was needed, he had been intent on calling her today only to find the piece of paper missing.

Then he found the hole and threw the pants back into the hamper.

His morning proceeded to be one thing after another as there were no more apples for his snack, someone finished off the milk, he missed his usual bus by a few seconds and of course he happened to glance inside and saw Emma with a guy around her shoulders.

Luck was just not on his side today, not even with the cafeteria lady at the front. He couldn't charm her as usual and ended up paying the ten bucks to come inside.

He put his tall glass of milk on his food tray and turned around, looking for somewhere to sit. His eyes drifted about, seeing that the place was pretty full already, but something to the left made him look again.

His eyes widened upon seeing _Leon_ in the cafeteria.

And with Sora, no less.

_Why?!_ The Frenchman never came in here, not ever! The cafeteria was supposed to be the place for Ken to work his magic on Sora since her partner _didn't come in here!_ But he knew that no one else had Leon's features and no one else could make the whole area around him be surprisingly empty.

Ken squinted. Ah no, there were people.

They just fell over in their seats.

He turned his attention back to the source of his current predicament and his jaw nearly unhinged when he saw Sora laughing at something Leon said.

_He's not supposed to make her laugh!_

That was Ken's job.

With that act, Ken frowned and was determined to figure out what was going on. He made his way to the only person that didn't fall for Leon's charms and was still sitting up while in close proximity.

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May couldn't keep her eyes off of what she was seeing.

She had seen a rare sight once already when Leon cracked a smile - so tiny and faint, but a smile was a smile. She was curious what other miracle was going to occur today.

At that moment, though, Ken plopped himself in her line of view, making her frown.

"What's going on?" Ken leaned over the table to May. "Leon _never _comes in here!"

May bit back a snide comment to tell him to move out of the way. She leaned forward as well, taking in the frown on the normally cheery guy's face. "You look like someone ran over your dog."

"I don't have a dog."

She rolled her eyes. "It was a figure of speech."

"Ah." Ken's frown lessened a little at that, but he caught Sora's excited voice behind him and the frown returned. "So what's the deal? They're not -" he paused as he forced himself to say the word, not knowing that he looked like he was choking on a huge hunk of rock, "..._together_ are they?"

"No," May started, causing Ken to relax too soon. "But they do have a date."

"_What?!"_

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	25. Chapter 25

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Sora laughed at something he said, but he could not recall what it was.

All he remembered was that he hadn't said it as a joke.

Despite it having been said a mere four seconds ago, the moment she tilted her head back and laughed, he had forgotten what he said. He even forgot to _breathe_ for almost ten seconds.

She smiled at him as her laughter stopped.

He involuntarily took in air and then took in some more when he realized his body needed oxygen. Whatever he had - _They had, _he reminded himself, _she said she felt the same things_ - was rather dangerous and life threatening. If Dr. Kate was correct, then that meant the majority of the world experienced these things.

He was surprised he hadn't heard about it before, given the threat it was.

"Leon," she placed her hand on his arm and he fought off the memory of his dream, "when and where would you like our date to be?"

He gave a slow blink. Most of the boys asked Sophie out on a weekend night and today was Wednesday...

"Will Friday night work for you?"

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Ken quickly got over his shock when he heard Leon ask for a Friday night date.

_It's happening! Right here, right now!_

Something had to be done and it had to be quick. He looked desperately at May. "He's asking her. _Right now._"_  
_

"So?"

He refrained from grabbing his hair. "We can't let them go!"

May blinked at him and then a devious smile appeared on her face.

"Follow my lead."

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Sora's smile grew. "That sounds good. Now for a place..." She looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Should we go out to eat or do something fun?"

Leon nearly scrunched up his nose at the food idea. He didn't know what was up with women suggesting going out to eat around him. Heck, even Dr. Kate told Sora to make sure he ate.

Was it because he was a bachelor? Did they think he couldn't fend for himself?

"I know how to cook," he said.

That made her look at him. _Why is he saying that?_ There didn't seem to be a reason for him to say that. _  
_

Unless...

"Are you suggesting a night in?"

He tilted his head at the curious statement. But he did not ask her what it meant for May and Ken arrived at their table. Though, to Leon it almost looked like May _dragged_ Ken over, but who was he to say? It had been too fast and not important in general.

"Hey you two, I couldn't help but overhear that you're going out Friday night," May said. "And I was thinking how weird that was, seeing as we," she gestured between her and Ken, the latter sharply turning his head to look at her, "were planning for the same day!"

"Oh," Sora said when nothing else came to mind. She hadn't known they were dating.

May lightly rolled her eyes when the redhead failed to connect the dots.

"Let's make it a double date."

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	26. Chapter 26

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Friday night Ken was waiting in the lobby of the restaurant.

He tapped his foot as he took a look at his watch. _It's almost 7._

May said she'd meet up with him early so they could discuss some plans. He was still upset with her for making it seem like he was dating her when he really wanted Sora's attention, but he mollified himself with the fact that maybe if he _showed _Sora how he could treat a girl, then maybe she'll want to go out with him.

The door opened and May stepped in, wearing a nice skirt and top. He blinked upon seeing a woven bracelet around her wrist and a necklace with a pearl. He hadn't been aware that May wore jewelry.

"You're late," he said with a frown.

"Yeah, well, try telling that to the traffic outside." She used her thumb to gesture behind her. "It's crazy out there."

He looked behind her, but he couldn't really see anything. "In any case, I've asked for a table." He sat down on the plush waiting bench and tapped his shoe again. "If it's really that crazy outside, Leon will probably be running late."

"Both of them," she clarified. "Unlike you," she gave him a short glare, "Leon went to go pick up his date."

Ken threw his hands in the air. The plan was already falling apart.

_Not yet,_ he tried to cheer himself up. _The night is still young. They're just going to be a little late._

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"We're going to be late," Sora mused as she took a look at the clock.

Leon was about to look at her, but then he stopped and looked back at the congested traffic. His date was dressed in a pretty sunny short skirt and a white tank top with a matching sunny cardigan. The cardigan was lacy and he couldn't help but noticed how nice it looked against her tan skin.

"Red light," Sora chirruped.

He quickly hit the breaks.

Sora giggled a little as she was brought forward and then bounced back into her seat with the sudden stop. "That's the fourth time you've nearly ran through a red light or stop sign."

He cleared his throat in embarrassment. He didn't feel like telling her that he had been distracted.

"Why are the streets so crowded?" she asked as she poked her head outside the window.

He made the mistake of looking at her as she leaned over, making her skirt rise up in the back and almost flash him her underwear. He quickly tugged at her arm in an effort to get her to sit down.

However, he had not thought about his action when he made her sit back down nor the angle in which Sora was peeking outside. Thus, when he pulled her to sit, she came back inside but her poor head bumped on the edge of the window, causing her to cry out and put a hand to her head.

"Ouch!"

Leon quickly lifted her hand to see the damage.

A red mark was along the left side of her forehead and as Leon looked he saw that it started to swell. He inwardly winced at what he had caused.

"We should get some ice on that."

The light turned green, but instead of going straight he went to the right, hoping that the shops around here had ice or a cold compress.

"Leon..." Sora started as she noticed something on the road that he didn't, but he was too busy looking at the store names around them that he had not heard. "Leon, there's glass!"

Her hand instinctively shot out to the wheel, inadvertently brushing his hand. As Sora made him swerve around the broken glass, he froze from the sudden contact of her hand on his, making his foot push on the accelerator.

The car shot forward with a new speed.

Sora screamed as she kept swerving the car around things. A cat, a crow, and some little old lady crossing the street were safe thanks to her, but as the car continued moving and Sora couldn't turn the car to the left or the right lest she hit something, she kept it straight.

Unfortunately, there was something straight ahead of them as well. The yellow and happy looking hydrant innocently sat on the sidewalk and directly in their path.

"Break!" She screamed at Leon. "_Hit the breaks!_"

He finally snapped out of it and slammed his foot on the breaks.

The car squealed as it suddenly breaked and some smoke came from the tires from having stopped from such a high speed. The breaks prevented them from completely crashing, however, there was enough of a force to tip the hydrant over.

Immediately, water spewed out of the broken hydrant.

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	27. Chapter 27

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The occupants of the car sat frozen as the water from the broken hydrant heavily rained on the front windshield. Leon had backed the car a little bit, but did not move it any further. He wasn't sure how badly damaged the engine was and didn't feel like adding 'car exploding' to the list of grievances.

He was already a bad date; he didn't feel like bumping it to "Worst Date."

Idly, he turned off the car as he thought about all of this.

Sora continued to look at the water gushing out and faintly heard pedestrians exclaiming over the accident. Some cheering and whooping made her realize that there were a few kids running about in the water like they were in the sprinklers.

She blinked and then turned to look at Leon.

Somberly, he turned to her, bracing himself for some sort of yelling or exclamations about how terrible a date he made this out to be.

She burst out laughing.

"Haha - I've never - seen - hahah! - been a part of - haha! - this!" her hand gestured around them in a laid back manner. She leaned her head against his shoulder, yelped for she had accidentally put pressure on her boo boo but then shifted to the right and she was ok again, and continued to laugh.

He couldn't decide if he was relieved or concerned.

Her laughter soon quieted to a tittering. She looked up at him with humor dancing in her eyes and beaming from her lips. His concern for her mental health eased and gave way to that warm, fluttering feeling.

"We should probably get out," she half laughed.

He nodded at that. He grabbed his coat from the middle of their seats and reached over to the glove compartment on her side to pull out his car insurance. Unwittingly, the back of his hand grazed her leg, the warmth shooting from her limb and up her spine at super sonic speeds.

_Zing!_

She both stiffened and bit her bottom lip.

He had felt the smoothness of her leg and his hand jerked away. From the corner of his eye, he caught her sitting up straighter, but he also saw the moment when her lower lip was slightly pulled into her mouth and her eyelids drooped just a little.

He felt his own zinging thrill along his spine at the sight.

They were back to sitting and staring straight ahead.

"Did you -" she half croaked out but then stopped in order to wet her suddenly dry mouth, "Did you," she restarted and turned to him to ask him directly if he had felt that zing up his spine, however, the words were stuck in her throat as she stared at the intensity of his grey eyes.

"Did you want me to grab some papers for you?" she asked instead.

He gave a nod, his eyes still on her as he watched the blooming pink on her cheeks. But then the bump on her forehead caught his attention.

It had swelled to the size of a golf ball.

"You still need some ice," he said and then got out of the car.

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It was chaos the moment he stepped out of the car.

He couldn't see it all, but he heard the exclaims of adults and the happy screaming of the kids. A police siren was faint, letting him know that someone had called them for him.

That was one less thing he had to do.

Coat over his head, he quickly fast walked away from the water. The bottom of his pants got wet, but the rest of him was dry. Once at a safe distance, he uncovered himself and turned around to look at the damage. A second later, he realized his mistake as his coat-less date quickly ran to him with the water hitting her directly.

He slapped a palm to his forehead.

If the accident hadn't ruined the date, he was sure his oversight had her determined not to go on another date with him. But he did not think anymore on that for Sora now stood in front of him, soaked from head to toe.

And she was wearing light colored clothing.

With a hot pink bra showing through.

"I hope you don't mind that I folded your papers," she said as she lifted her purse for him to see. With a huff, she pushed aside her wet bangs when she had trouble seeing him. She yelped yet again as she touched her swelled injury. Once that was done, she blinked as she saw his coat in her direct line of vision and his head turned to the side.

Was it just her or was there some red on his upper cheeks?

"Take it," his hand moved up and down.

She shivered a little as a car passed by and caused some air to blow on her. She gratefully took the coat, audibly sighing as it slowly warmed her.

"Thanks."

He ventured a glance and upon seeing the coat on her - the large size drowning her in fabric - he nodded again. She offered her purse and he took it, pulling out his insurance paper. He caught the sight of a pink chapstick and the red on his face returned, recalling what he had seen.

He had a feeling he was going to have another bizarre dream tonight.

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AN: Of course their date couldn't go so smoothly. XP


	28. Chapter 28

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A fire truck and ambulance had been called along with the police car.

Sora was currently sitting in the ambulance as the officer questioned Leon about the accident. She tilted her head as the officer pointed to the curb and Leon reluctantly - she could tell it wasn't by choice by the way his shoulders tensed - went to the sidewalk and began to walk along the edge.

_Why does he have to balance himself along the curb?_

Maybe the officer recognized him as an acrobat?

She was drawn away from the scene with the cool touch of some lotion on her forehead. She jerked away from the sudden feeling of it.

"Sorry," the paramedic held up the swap with something mint colored on it. "It'll help with the swelling."

"Ah, ok." Sora brought her head back. "The coldness of it startled me, that's all."

The woman hummed as she carefully applied the concoction on the golf ball bruise. "That's some injury you got there." With a slight scolding tone, she asked, "Were you wearing your seat belt?"

Sora lightly laughed. "Oh, I got this before the crash!"

"Oh?"

"Yeah," she rubbed the back of her neck. "Leon pulled me into the car and I bumped my head."

The paramedic paused in treating her and then scrutinized her. "Has he done this before?"

Sora blinked at the serious tone. "Uh, no, this was the first time. It was an accident."

"I see." The paramedic looked over Sora's shoulder for a moment, gauging Leon. Then she taped up Sora's injury and then straightened up. She shook up some white bag the size of her hand and then handed it to Sora. "Keep this on your head for 30 or so minutes."

Sora smiled and accepted the ice pack. "Thanks!" She was about to walk back to Leon when the paramedic stopped her with a light hand on her shoulder.

"And take this as well," the older woman gently murmured as she pulled out a card from her pocket. "They're always willing to give advice should another...accident...occur."

Sora took the card. "Ah thanks?"

The woman nodded and then went back inside the ambulance. As it took off, Sora looked at the card, frowning at what it said.

" 'Haven of Safety for Women'...?"

Why in the world would the paramedic give her this?

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Leon didn't know what was more embarrassing: having crashed the car or fulfilling the officer's 'tests.'

"...C, B, A," Leon dryly finished.

"Wonderful recitation of the alphabet," the officer stated as he stood in front of Leon with his arms crossed. "Not many can do it backwards as smoothly as you did."

"Are we finished?" Leon flatly asked.

He's been doing these sobriety tests for a good ten minutes now. True, he should not have said that he had A) been distracted and then B) frozen as his date took the wheel. Those had been poor word choices on his part.

_Please be done..._

"Leon," a softer voice called out.

He and the officer turned to look at Sora's form. His dark coat made her look smaller than she really was and her petite hand held an ice pack to her forehead.

"Is everything alright?"

The officer chuckled. "I can see why he'd be distracted."

Sora blushed prettily at the indirect compliment.

"We got the water shut off for now on this block," the officer scribbled on his notepad, "your license is suspended for now and your car will be impounded. You should be receiving a court date sometime in the mail." He ripped the ticket out and handed it to Leon.

"Have a nice night." Leon numbly took the ticket and then the officer went back into his car.

His eyes widened slightly at the monetary number on the ticket. He couldn't use his license, his car was going to be impounded and then he has to go to get another penalty when he went to his court date. This night was turning out to be an embarrassing disaster.

"Y-You were distracted by me?" Sora shyly asked.

He looked skyward as his face flushed. _Why?_

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	29. Chapter 29

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Ken and May had ample amount of time to plan out what they'd do.

However, with the continued absence of both Sora and Leon the plan could not be put into action. Ken nervously tapped his foot as he took a look at his watch.

'8:45PM'

They were nearly two hours late...

"I don't think they're coming," May boredly intoned as she snacked on the last bread stick.

Ken looked away from his watch and frowned. "Why don't you call them?"

"Can't."

"Why not?"

May took a sip of her drink. "Left my phone at home."

He let out an exasperated breath. He didn't have Sora's number or else he would call her himself. "Well, do you remember it?"

She snorted. "Who remembers phone numbers in this day and age?"

"May," he sternly said. "I wish you'd see how serious this is."

She blinked at his tone, but then narrowed her eyes. "You can show off some other time, lover boy." She took a large bite of her bread. "Don't get your panties in a bunch."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

She paused as she really thought about his words.

"Wait a second," she put the rest of her bread down and folded her arms on the table so she could lean in to face him. "Are you worried about Sora being with Leon?"

He grimly nodded.

Sora was alone with Leon somewhere, _unchaperoned_, and with no one to turn to if the deceptively charming, silver haired man tried something or took advantage of her...

And May was laughing.

She laughed very loudly and even smacked the table in her mirth.

"This isn't funny, May!" Ken admonished.

"If you knew what I do," she gasped out as she tried to talk, "you'd laugh too!"

Ken frowned. "She's at his mercy."

May attempted to get herself under control. "If there's anyone who's in trouble," she tittered and then finished when she could talk again, "it's totally _Leon, _not Sora!"

He listened to what she was saying this time. "...What do you mean?"

May calmed down. _What to do, what to do..._

Should she tell him what she knew?

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"So what now?" Sora asked.

Leon sighed as they continued walking down the street. He had wanted to find a clothing store for her to get dry clothing, but the small stores closed at 7PM. The only places that were open were the pubs and some food places.

"We can call a cab and I'll see you home."

Sora lightly frowned. "But what about our date?"

He raised a disbelieving brow. "You...still wish to have one?"

"I'm pretty hungry," she said, her hands now free with the ice pack having lost its use. With a slight blush, she reached out a hand and slipped hers in his. "I don't know about you, but I like having company when I eat."

His face was fairly blank, leaving her to guess what he was thinking about. However, when she felt his hand close around hers, she smiled and looked at him, even though her stomach was growling and the light pink on her cheeks deepened to a cherry color.

She looked away after another moment and read the restaurant signs around her.

"There's not much here," she noted out loud, "are you ok with soup and sandwiches?"

He had a personal dislike of having sandwiches for anything other than lunchtime. Overall, he didn't understand why people would _buy_ a sandwich when they could just as easily make one at home.

Yet he found himself agreeing to her question.

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	30. Chapter 30

AN: Thanks for the views and continued interest! :3

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Leon and Sora sat by a window seat with their food in front of them.

It was late at night, Sora looked a few notches above a homeless person with her dried hair sticking out and the too large of a coat looking ridiculous on her petite form, plus the bandage on the left side of her forehead. He would have winced again - for she had obviously had better days and he had been the cause of this - but there was that sunny gleam in her dark eyes and a smile on her face.

Her legs stretched out but then retreated when she accidentally bumped into his feet. Her cheeks flamed; he caught the sight as he ate some soup.

"Do you like it?" she gestured towards the bowl. He gave a nod as the tomato and spices delightfully warmed his insides. She took a sip of hers and she giggled. "It tickles on the way down!"

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards.

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May and Ken were eating as well, though the latter didn't have much of an appetite. He picked at his pasta and then looked up at May.

"So Leon's experience...is that really the case?"

May took her time swallowing. "I don't have anything more to say on that."

Ken frowned. May withheld the urge to snicker.

_Where was the fun in telling the whole truth?_ She'll let him think about what little she said.

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The small food place had some live music.

Sora's head bobbed a little to the tune of the guitar and the saxophone. She felt relaxed and comfortable; she stole a look at Leon and saw that he was sitting back in his seat and his shoulders were not up in tension or nervousness.

She liked this place.

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The bill came and Ken grabbed it.

He frowned a little upon seeing the total. _I forgot to say that we're on separate bills. _He put his card in the plastic slot and then passed the bill envelope over to May.

She didn't touch it.

"You need to pay your half," Ken said.

"No I don't."

Ken frowned. "I'm not footing the whole bill."

May crossed her arms on the table. "You said you'd buy me dinner."

"What are you -" Ken paused as he thought about it. "From back at the Fun House?" When May nodded, he let out an exasperated sound. "That wasn't meant for you."

She shrugged. "It was _said_ to _me_."

Ken stopped his aggravation for a moment and looked at her. And he _really _looked at her. _Half closed eyes, leaning her body towards me, finger drawing little circles and- _

...Was that some _PINK _on her cheeks?!

He hit his forehead in disbelief. _Well, at least I know for sure the charm from the old dating book really does work on everyone... _

Except Sora, of course.

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They stayed at the little food place until closing.

Sora was leaning against his left side as they sat in the cab. "That was a great place."

"Yes." His arm was tingling pleasantly with her contact.

She closed her eyes with a smile on. "I forgot to ask, but did you like your sandwich?"

"...It was good," he said and he meant the statement.

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AN: And that incident in the Fun House comes back to haunt Ken...

But it doesn't have to! :P


	31. Chapter 31

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Mia had been the one to help Sora get ready for her date. The lovesick romantic had gushed over it so much, Sora would have thought that Mia was the one going on the date.

_"Will he bring chocolates or flowers?" Mia had asked as she pinned up Sora's hair. _

_She shrugged. This was her first date, after all._

_Mia tutted as an unruly lock slipped out of the bobby pin. "Well, it's fine if he doesn't..." Sora didn't see it, but Mia was deviously grinning, "as long as you get a kiss in the end."_

_Sora had turned a deep red. "K-Kiss?"_

_"Maybe even a French kiss," Mia squealed. _

_Sora blinked at the unfamiliar name. "What's that?"_

_Mia looked down at her friend's upturned face. With a sly grin, she said, "It involves some tongue," and then gave a wink._

_"Oh," was all Sora said._

She couldn't help but think back on that conversation as the cab parked by the dorms and Leon got out and held the door for her. She smiled at the gesture, unknowingly making his heart thud very hard.

While he didn't know about dating, he did have some manners.

Though, if holding a door got him a smile, well then, he was just going to have to do it more often. _Dr. Kate had been right._ She told him he might come to like the feelings that came from his affliction and he was starting to.

Especially around Sora.

"I will need a ride still," Leon told the cab driver and then turned to Sora standing by on the sidewalk.

"Well," she started with a fiddling of the too large coat sleeve. "I should give this back."

"You can return it later," he immediately responded. He wasn't sure how long it took for clothes to dry but he would rather not risk it. The flash of hot pink went through his mind with the reminder of _what _he was trying not to see again and he inwardly berated himself.

Tonight was going to be a difficult dream to control...

"Thank you for the date!"

He gave a nod. "I apologize for the car situation as well as your injury."

She lightly touched the edge of the bandage and laughed. "It's alright. You didn't mean to. That's why they're called 'accidents.' "

They fell silent.

She rocked back on her wedges, biting her lower lip as she inwardly debated what Mia said, what she's seen in the movies and what she was personally comfortable with. Her eyes flickered to his mouth, an area she had never really paid much attention to, and then her cheeks turned red.

_I don't think I can do that._

But somewhere else, she felt like she could.

"Leon," she called out, bringing his attention away from his mindless searching of the crickets he could hear. He stilled as she stepped close to him, and she leaned up with the aid of her hand on his shoulder. He felt his mouth dry when she pressed her lips against his cheek...

And then his eyes widened when something wet touched him.

"Good night," she said with a blush and then she dashed off to her dorm.

He placed a hand on his cheek.

Did she really just _lick _him...?

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AN: Ah haha...Mia, you should probably explain things better.


	32. Chapter 32

AN: Thanks for the reviews! They make me smile! :D

Edit 6/16: I moved Ken's scene further down so it flows better. Text and information-wise, it's the same.

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Sora was all smiley in the cafeteria despite the bump on her head.

"Are you ok?" Mia asked as her friend got in the food line behind her.

"I'm fantastic!" Sora chirruped.

May rolled her eyes. "We wanna know how you got that golf ball on your head."

"I bumped it on the car," she stated still with a smile. "Sorry about not making it. I left my phone at home or else I would have called you."

Mia tilted her head. "May, you were waiting for them? Why?"

"We were supposed to have a double date," May said, "but Sora and Leon never showed."

Mia paused in grabbing some sausages. Sora continued to hum as she picked out some bacon.

"Who did you go with, May?"

Without speaking, May pointed her fork to a table. Mia turned and saw a familiar carrot top morosely picking at his food.

"You're dating Ken?!"

"Went on one date," May corrected and then none too gently dropped the lid back over the steaming tin of pancakes.

Mia pursed her lips, catching May sour mood. She let Sora go in front of her so she could talk to May. "Did something go wrong?" Mia asked with a slight frown.

May shrugged. "I guess, but then that would be saying that something was supposed to go a certain way."

"O-k..." Mia started with confusion but then pushed on. "So what's the issue?"

"That," May dryly stated as she jerked her chin to the side, seeing as her hands were busy.

Mia looked again, catching Ken watching Sora wistfully. The oblivious redhead grabbed some milk and then started to walk in Ken's direction, but some screams near the entrance had her pausing. By the big grin on Sora's face and the familiar thuds of bodies, Mia took it that Leon was now in the cafeteria. Sora changed her path, instead going over to Leon which made Ken frown.

"Oh." Mia's seen love triangles, but hadn't seen a love square in real life.

Was it wrong of her to feel giddy about it?

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This morning, Leon woke up from a strange dream.

Sora had been there and in the outfit she wore for their date. He had been on edge in the beginning, just waiting for something not ordinary to occur, however, he started to relax when it seemed like a regular day. He started conversing with her as if it were real life. She smiled and the sight made his stomach fluttery.

Then, she started to fan herself.

_'I'm hot,' _she said, and then pulled out a pitcher of water from nowhere. He waited for her to pull out a cup when surprise-surprise, she simply poured the water over herself. _'I'm thirsty,' _she had murmured in a tone he had never heard her use. The pitcher seemed to be filled with limitless water as she tipped her head back, drank some of the liquid and then proceeded to pour it down the rest of her body.

Slowly, but surely, her white tank top was soaked through, reveling the hot pink bra she had underneath. 'Oops!' She giggled to herself, placing the pitcher on the table that had not previously been there.

To his shock, she peeled her top off.

She stood in her bra and skirt, wringing her top dry and he stood there in front of her, watching as the water fell down from her top. Then, she suddenly stopped, drawing his attention from her hands to her face, making him follow the drops of water that rolled down her neck, over her collarbone and then soaking her bra.

He found his hand along her collarbone and he was appalled to find his hand going down where the drops had gone. But he wasn't screaming at himself like he had the last time his hand had gone where it shouldn't.

_'Are you thirsty?' _she asked, her face incredibly close to his and his hand stayed where it was.

His cheek tingled with her kiss, and then he felt her place another on the corner of his mouth, followed by a tiny, brief lick.

'_Meow'_ he heard, and he looked at Sora only to find a cat with a bra on.

He had woken up then.

_That has to be the strangest dream yet_, he thought as he entered the cafeteria. Despite the bizarre 'kiss and lick' on his cheek last night and then the dream, he found himself eager to see her.

"Morning Leon!" Sora chirruped as she approached him.

She wore a white tank top today, but the bright blue flowers on it had him calming down. _It was just a dream._ There was no need for him to be worked up over it. It was highly unlikely for her to suddenly take off her shirt.

"You have your hair up," he commented, having not seen it that way before.

"I was hot," she said as she stood next to him.

He stiffened slightly when she repeated what Dream Sora had said. _That wasn't verbatim. _It was pretty warm this morning. Unusually so, he would say. However, even with his reassurance, he still found himself looking out for a pitcher of water._  
_

While he was looking, his eyes strayed over her.

He could not explain why, but he felt like touching her, especially with her skin looking particularly soft and smooth. His hand, of its own accord, lifted up to touch her arm, but he caught himself, instead making it go to her hand. She had grabbed his hand before, so he figured that the hand was safe territory.

Her eyes widened slightly with the contact. He nearly pulled his hand away, but then her brown eyes connected with his. She had a smile on her face and some pink on her cheeks.

The next second she turned away and he felt her hand tighten around his.

He took that as a good sign.

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Ken despondently watched as Sora put her tray down and then followed Leon to the food line.

He stabbed his french toast harder than necessary when the back of their hands brushed, causing Sora to blush and shyly turn her face to the side. When Leon had the gall to loosely grip her hand, Ken viciously bit a large chunk of his toast off, not caring that maple syrup was dripping down his chin and getting onto his shirt.

_"He's got different skills," _was all May had told him.

Was it because Leon was from Europe that made the girls go ga-ga over him, also allowing him to snag the attention of the sweet, but ignorant star of the Kaleido Stage - something Ken has been trying to do for at least two years now - and letting him grab her hand when he wanted to?

_Maybe it was boldness that she liked._

Ken had tried it somewhat when he was insistent in winning her the goldfish at the carnival, but he had asked her if she wanted them instead of just winning them and then presenting them to her. After all, Leon just went out and got her a whole tank full of fish and then just gave it to her without asking.

_Yes,_ Ken nodded to himself. There was a different sort of boldness that he was not aware of.

But now he is.

He will consult his dating book to see if it was there.

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They sat at the table side by side.

Sora didn't want to let go of his hand this time and he made no indication of it bothering him.

In the middle of their talking, Mia came over. "Hey you two! A few of us were thinking of going to the beach today after practice. You wanna join?"

"Sure!" Sora turned to look at Leon. "You interested? It'll be fun!"

He took a look at Sora's hopeful face and then at Mia's eager one. He gave a half shrug. He didn't seem the harm in it.

Sora beamed. "That's a 'yes'!"

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AN: This one's longer than usual. :3

Side note: I'm thinking that this will not be going on for that much longer, but I don't have a feel for how many more chapters yet.


	33. Chapter 33

AN: Sorry for the wait! These weeks have been busy!

Another apology if Cat Sora was a little too weird for you in the last chapter with Leon's dream. I don't know about you but I have some really weird dreams sometimes. XP

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Leon felt that he had been lulled into a false sense of calmness.

Practice had gone smoothly, though, there were some moments of shyness when they came close to one another. He figured that if they continued dating, they were just going to have to learn how to not be bashful - maybe Dr. Kate could give him some advice for that.

After practice, Sora went to her dorm and gathered some beach gear while he went to one of the many beach shops nearby and bought some trunks and a tank. She had offered to wait for him and they'd go find the others together, but he hadn't wanted to make her wait, instead telling her that he'd find her on the beach.

She had smiled, and with a blush gave him another 'kiss and lick' on the cheek.

The action, coupled with the pink kitty on her top, made him think of his strange dream yet again. Honestly, he wouldn't be surprised if she sprouted a tail and ears. Though, in hindsight, maybe he should have taken all of these reminders that something else was coming, another instance from his dream that made his gut squirm...

He was now in his shorts and tank, sans shoes since he really wasn't a sandals person, and his hair pulled back in a low ponytail. He spotted Sora and their co-workers out on the sand and walked over. The ocean breeze felt nice, the sand - initially burning hot when he first stepped on it - was now mildly warm and grainy soft. It was a nice day and he found himself glad that he agreed to come. Some kids ran by him, making him look away from his group temporary so he would not run into them. Once they passed him, he looked forward again, hearing familiar voices.

Then he stopped with his eyes wide open.

Not even a full ten feet away from him was Sora pulling her top off.

Like in his dream, he found that he could not look away even though his mind screamed at him about propriety. It felt like slow motion as the cloth uncovered her belly, the sun highlighting her tan skin and the lines of smooth muscle of a lean acrobat. The cloth went further up, uncovering her ribs and he admired the way she was shaped with not too big hips and the delicate curves above the hips and along her sides. He has seen bare female torsos before and he's seen male ones too, as a matter of fact - given the athletic performances he was a part of, it was a given that some skin would be shown during practices if not on stage. Wearing too many layers can be too hot or confining for an acrobat.

He could not recall ever admiring anyone's belly the way he was now.

_Great._ There was something else wrong with him. He made a mental note to make mental notes of any other odd behaviors to tell Dr. Kate in addition to asking her for advice about how to overcome bashfulness.

He blinked as Sora threw her shirt down, revealing a pink polka dotted bikini top. He relaxed a little, glad that it wasn't a solid hot pink color, however, his shoulders stiffened upon seeing her undo the button of her shorts. His mind underwent a visual meltdown and he swayed where he stood, completely falling onto his knees when she started lowering her jean shorts.

His vision momentarily turned black as he almost passed out.

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Not knowing that she had been giving a show, Sora continued to shimmy out of her shorts.

Once out of them, she made sure that her bikini bottom was on properly and then put her shirt and shorts into her beach bag. It wasn't until her sunglasses slipped off her face and she put them on her head that she saw Leon kneeling in the sand not too far away from her.

Sora ran over to him. "Leon!"

Hearing his voice, his head lifted up, his eyes blinking as he cleared the blackness from his vision. When he could properly see again, he saw Sora kneeling in front of him in her polka dot bikini and a pair of shades on her head, her messy bun completing the look.

She looked...cute...even with the bandage on her forehead.

He blinked at what word he used and added it to his list of new symptoms.

"Are you ok?" she asked, one hand cupped along his jaw in order to keep his head up as the other hand was along his forehead. "You feel a little warm," she mused. "Let's get you under the umbrella."

Without missing a beat, she slipped herself under his arm and his hand hung around her shoulders, his fingers accidentally grazing her skin. Both of them stiffened upon feeling the skin to skin contact. She thought she could feel his body heat up, though she had a feeling he wasn't the only one given how her cheeks were flaming right now. She cleared her throat and stepped forward, prompting Leon to move with her.

They moved slowly, though he tried to will his legs to get a move on. But her proximity kept his movements slow and his face flushed, though the latter wasn't that visible. He inwardly sighed when they finally reached the umbrella, however, when he moved his arm off of her the sensation of skin kept him lightheaded, even when she dashed off to get a water bottle for him.

_I shouldn't have come._

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Sora jogged over to the cooler. She was still a little flushed by the return of the zinging sensation down her spine, but decided that getting water was more important at the moment.

Just as she was about to lift the lid, someone else did it for her.

She blinked as a soda can was offered to her by Ken, who was smiling right at her. "Oh thanks."

"My pleasure," Ken said with a wink.

When Sora smiled back, he felt a sense of triumph. _Getting her something instead of asking her seems to be the solution._ He was getting faster results this way. _The book does say to try to anticipate what she would want._ Sora ran to the cooler and he saw that and snagged her favorite soda, a cherry coke.

_Watch out Leon, _Ken silently told the silver haired performer under the umbrella. _I know your techniques..._

In the middle of congratulating himself, Sora opened the cooler again and got out a water bottle. Ken heard her rummaging around too late, the redhead already jogging back to Leon with her soda and water, which was offered to Leon.

_Drat! _He only got half of that one.

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	34. Chapter 34

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What started as a stressful beach day was turning back into a relaxing one.

After drinking some water and cooling down in the shade, Leon was feeling a whole lot better. He turned the page of his book, the cool breeze and the salty air gentle reminders of where he was. Sora came by every once in a while to see if he wanted to come into the water, but he'd decline.

He took a look at his wristwatch, noting that she should be coming by again.

"Hi Leon!" Sora chirruped as she snagged a towel to dry off.

He kept his eyes on his book, but nodded just the same. Unlike the other times she came by, this time she laid down on a mat next to him, curiously looking at his book.

"You sure do read a lot," she noted, but not unkindly.

"Yes."

Reading helped him focus and not constantly staring at a certain someone when she was close by. It was also a habit he picked up from his earlier circus days. He noticed that people tended to not talk to those who had a book for fear of disturbing them. There were exceptions to this rule, of course.

One of them was next to him.

She laid her head down on her folded arms as she let the sun finish drying her. "Do you have any favorite authors?"

"Why do you ask?"

She smiled. "Maybe I'll want to get you a gift sometime."

He looked away from his book to see her fingers idly swirling around in the sand near her beach mat.

"You don't need to."

"But I want to."

There wasn't a holiday coming up and he was fairly certain she didn't know his birthday - it was still several months away, in any case. _She wants to get me a gift just because? _His heart thumped a little louder at the idea. He placed his bookmark in between the pages and closed his novel.

He laid on his back so they were at eye level. "I read the classics."

"I had a feeling you do," she giggled, the sound tickling him, "but what else?"

He looked up at the poles of the beach umbrella. "Generally," he started thoughtfully, "I like to look around and pick a book that seems to be intriguing, no matter the genre."

She propped her head up a little, taking a look a his face. "Even romance novels?" she teased.

He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling warm. "Not intentionally," he slowly started, "though I unfortunately picked one up based on a recommendation from a clerk."

She tilted her head as she spotted some red along his cheeks. "Which book was that?"

"...I'd rather not say," he embarrassedly murmured.

He had been misled, seeing as it was under the category of best sellers within the last couple of years. When he read the back of it, he immediately put it back down and stiffly walked out of the bookstore. Even someone like him, where romantic relationships were new and foreign to him, understood the gist of the book. It was because of that book cover that he stopped wearing ties...

Mercifully she did not press the issue, having never seen his face so red before.

"Do you want to build a sand castle with me?"

He nodded, eager to change the subject.

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Ken had been playing some volleyball when they decided to stop for a short break.

Most of the girls were watching, except for a few who were playing as well. Ken took a quick look and deflated a little when he noted that Sora wasn't around. Usually she came to watch with her friends to cheer, but this time she wasn't. The change unsettled him and he kicked at the sand a little as he walked to the cooler to grab a soda.

"Where's Sora?" he asked Anna as she came to the cooler.

The tall teen snapped her soda can open. "I think I saw her and Leon over there," she gestured with her thumb.

Following her finger, Ken looked over towards the ocean and he did indeed see Sora and Leon sitting on the sand. He frowned at how close they were to each other.

It upset him.

More than anything else that has ever occurred.

A guy yelled out and a Frisbee flew by, nearing clipping Ken's ear. He ducked a second later, yelping at the near hit.

"Sorry dude!" the owner of the Frisbee yelled out. "Could you throw it back this way?"

Ken sighed. _I'm always the one helping people._ It was a thankless duty, being a nice guy. That's why he liked the old dating book; it taught him how to be the ideal guy and receive some gratitude for the work in the form of dates. He walked over to the Frisbee as Anna waved bye to him.

"See you in a bit!"

"Yeah," Ken replied, bending over to the bright orange disc. As he straightened up to find the Frisbee owner, Ken saw that the guy was a little ways behind Leon and the sand castle and in that moment Sora was walking to the water with her bucket, leaving the silver haired performer alone.

Ken thought about how it was Leon's fault Sora hadn't been watching the volleyball game. It was Leon that ruined the double date where he was supposed to show Sora how nice he could be to a girl. And then it was Leon that won those stupid little goldfish at the carnival, probably having bribed the person at the booth for them.

All of his problems centered around _Leon_.

He clenched the Frisbee and then threw it as hard as he could.

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AN: I feel like we're getting close to the end. I'm not sure how many chapters yet, but I thought I should let you know.

Can anyone guess which book Leon almost grabbed? Or was it too vague? :P


	35. Chapter 35

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Sora was finding that there was a lot she didn't know about her partner.

She finished making her fourth turtle shaped hill when she looked up at Leon's work. He had been smoothing the sand with the small plastic shovel earlier, but now he was using a stick to draw on the walls of the rectangular castle. She came closer and peered over his shoulder.

"You're really good at this!"

He hmmed, still working on the walls. Back in France he'd make things with his hands as a way of relaxing. Clay was his preferred material, but when he began to move around a lot to perform he settled for something like play-doh, but a better quality. He couldn't go to his friend's kiln to fire his pieces, so his hobby had been put on hold.

She sat down next to him, content to watch him work. "Do you have any other hidden talents?"

"Like what?"

She shrugged. "Music playing, singing, drawing, a sport..."

He paused in his work to consider what she said and then began to work on the windows. "I really do not have time to be investing in a sport. As for the other items you listed," he looked over at her, "I prefer something I can physically touch and mold."

"Ceramics then?"

"I used to," he murmured thoughtfully, "but I moved around too much."

"You can start up again," she said, placing a hand along his bicep, "now that you're not moving around."

"...I had not considered that." He turned his head to her, the soft touch of her hand on him stirring his insides. "Now that I am settled, I could even buy a potter's wheel."

She smiled. He let out a tiny one in return.

She bit her bottom lip a little, her head leaning close to his and her eyes drifting half closed but then she stopped with a vibrant blush. He tilted his head at the curious behavior, not having noticed that his head had subconsciously leaned into her before she pulled away.

"I'll um, get some sea shells," she rambled as she quickly stood up, "a great sand castle needs sea shells and little rocks and kelp and sticks..." she paused to grab her bucket and then started to walk towards the water, "I'll be right back!"

"Alright."

"Ano, Leon?" she called out as she thought of something, "Do you want to go on a date tomorrow night?"

He sat up straighter. "Tomorrow?"

She nodded, her sandy bare feet shifting on the sand in quiet anticipation.

"It would have to be around here," he warned, "for my car is still in the impound."

"That's ok, silly!" she laughed. "It could even be in the cafeteria if you want!"

Her tinkling laughter rang in his ears and her happy smile made his lips upturn some more.

"It's a date," he said.

She ducked her head a little in an endearing manner. "Ok. We can set a time when I come back with the - " Leon frowned as her smile fell, being replaced with surprise. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in worry. "Leon, duck down!"

Immediately, he pitched forward, trusting his partner's warning. He heard something cut through the air as he smashed into his sand castle, narrowly missing being hit by a Frisbee.

"Whoa man! You alright?!" a guy called out.

Leon sat up, idly brushing the sand from the front of his tank. Sora rushed back to him and was checking his head.

"Did you get hit?"

He shook his head. She sighed in relief, though when she turned to look at his castle she frowned.

"Your beautiful work's gone," she bemoaned.

The corners of his mouth turned down in disappointment. Sora caught it and she patted his arm.

"It was lovely," she said encouragingly, "I'm glad I was able to see it."

He looked away from the ruined work to her sweet face. In appreciation of her warning and for sympathizing with his loss, he found himself leaning his head down to her.

She flushed as his lips brushed her cheek and then giggled when his brief lick tickled her.

_I guess I have been doing that right_, she inwardly thought.

Unbeknownst to her, Leon thought a similar thing, instead inwardly relieved that he did her sign of affection correctly, no matter how strange it felt to be licking her cheek.

He couldn't decide if it was a female or a cultural custom.

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AN: And they're both wrong. XP

But they're trying. Let's give them a 'B+' for effort.


	36. Chapter 36

AN: Thanks for the reviews!

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The next day around 5pm, Sora patiently waited by the bus stop closest to the Kaleido Stage.

Ken had been about to get on it, but he noticed that Sora was there and went behind a tree. She was dressed in a mid-thigh flowery skirt with a white short-sleeved top on. Her feet swung idly, the tie up wedges with the knotted bows on either sides of her ankles lightly bounced as her feet moved. She hummed a tune; not knowing that Ken was nearby.

After the failed Frisbee attack, Ken was anxious.

_Is there something I can do right now? _Sora was here, without Leon or one of their friends about to distract her from what Ken had to say. _Should I do it here and now? _

Would it be so easy to just admit his feelings in this moment of time?

_Be bold, be confident,_ he told himself. He spotted some flowers in a bush close to him and he picked one, but then decided to look at his dating book. _Flowers, flowers..._ There had to be a section about them. His thumb halted the movement of the pages as he got to gifts.

"Stuffed animals, chocolates...flowers!"

'_Red flowers, especially red roses, are generally the universal symbol of romance, love, and passion.' _Ken looked up from the book, not seeing anything red around him. _Drat! _He ran his finger down, looking at the notes. _'Warning: If you want a woman to take you seriously and keep her thinking of you romantically, avoid yellow flowers. They generally stand for friendship.'_

He looked at his other hand, where a bright yellow flower was between his fingers.

Aghast, he dropped the flower as if it were diseased. _Ok, I'm avoiding yellow._

He turned around, looking for any other flowers about. _Yellow, yellow, yellow...orange - too close to yellow! - yellow..._

He frustratedly gripped his hair. _Ok. Forget the flowers. _It would have been a nice touch, but if yellow was the only thing around then he was better off without them. _  
_

Unfortunately for Ken, he had been debating about this for too long. When he stepped out from behind the tree there was a bus at the stop and Sora was greeting Leon. Ken frowned as she gave him something and then gaped when she not only kissed Leon's cheek but licked it as well.

_What is Leon teaching her?!_

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Leon's cheek tingled from where she kissed it - in her curious way.

He looked down at the wrapped gift, his words not quick to come. "I did not get you anything."

She smiled. "That's ok. I saw this and thought you might like it. Go ahead and open it!"

He looked at her encouraging face and then back down at the smiley wrapping paper. Carefully, he undid the tape, making sure not to rip the wrapping paper. She giggled as he meticulously undid the paper, but did not say anything. When he finished, she held her breath and looked at his face.

He looked at the giant sand castle on the cover of the book and idly he flipped through it, seeing different designs.

"I thought it would be something fun to do together," she said when she couldn't handle the silence anymore. "Not that you can't do it on your own, but," she shyly twisted the hem of her shirt, "I would like to try a few designs with you too, if you don't mind."

"...I don't know what to say," he murmured, baffled that he truly _did not know what to say. _

His insides were loose, but tight, squirming but still. He had so many thoughts and feelings that they were all crammed inside his head, making him feel really weird._  
_

"Thank you," he finally managed to say, that one thought staying in place.

"So you like it?" she tentatively asked.

Somewhere in his mind, a message was sent into his legs to step forward and another to his arms to move. Within two seconds, she was against him as his arms were around her in what he realized was an embrace.

Her cheeks burned red, not having thought that he would hug her but liking it just the same. Her own arms slipped around his torso, the flat of her palms lying along his back.

_She's embracing me back._

His face felt warm. A bit embarrassed, he bent his head down to her hair and covered most of his face with her locks.

Soon, they let go of each other.

"I apologize," he murmured. He overstepped the boundary with his impulsiveness, invading her personal space.

_Me, impulsive._ Good lord, has he truly lost his mind?

She tittered. "Don't apologize. I like hugs." With a shy smile, she added, "You're a good hugger, so don't worry about repeating it."

He inclined his head, simultaneously hiding the still visible red on his face.

"Shall we go?"

She linked her arm through his. "We shall!"

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AN: Too much sweetness! Someone call a dentist! XP


	37. Chapter 37

AN: Shout out to Dota for the reviews! :D I'm glad you like this story!

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The next morning, Sora felt giddy.

Her second date with Leon went pretty smooth: no injuries, no car wrecks, and no ambulance. It went so well that Leon asked her out for a third date this coming Saturday.

She smiled to herself. _Maybe then I can do it._

She liked the kisses on the cheek and the hugs - she received her second hug from him at the end of the night before they parted - but she felt like it was getting close to the time for it, especially with how she felt about him.

Yes, she was going to do _The Kiss_ - right on the lips. Her cheeks slightly turned red. _At the end of our Saturday date, I'll do it. _The little butterflies in her stomach were hyper with the decision.

"Ah, Sora," Rosetta tentatively said from behind her, "You're spilling orange juice everywhere."

Sora abruptly moved her finger from the button pushing for oj on the drink machine, her small cup brimming with the substance. "Oh no!" she cried, seeing that she had gotten the liquid on the floor and on the counter.

Quickly, she grabbed some napkins and started cleaning up the mess.

_Shoot shoot shoot!_

How absentminded could she be?

A stringy, off white mop was plopped near her hand. She blinked as it moved over the floor, soaking up the spilled orange juice.

"Oh, thanks Ken."

Ken nodded, but stayed silent. Sora straightened up and started wiping down the counter as Ken did the floor. She was glad she had a friend like him that thought of these things. It would take her much longer to clean up with only napkins.

Ken's eyes drifted over to Sora every now and then, thinking about how he had yet to do anything substantial that portrayed his feelings for her. He made attempts to, time and again, but they've all failed.

_A direct approach is needed._

"Sora," he said, waiting until she looked at him, "I need to talk to you after breakfast."

She blinked at the serious tone, but agreed. "Alright."

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After breakfast, Sora stood outside under a big tree.

It was pretty sunny today so she felt like some shade would be good for their talk. Her brows furrowed in concern. _He seemed pretty serious. I hope he's ok._

Well, if he needed her help, she'd be more than willing to do so.

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Ken stepped outside and spotted Sora under a tree.

He took a calming breath in, smoothed his hair over with his free hand and then walked over, keeping his hand with the rose behind his back.

_This is it._

It was going to happen today, no matter the consequences.

"Thanks for meeting me Sora."

The star gave him a small smile. "Of course, Ken. What can I help you with?"

_Ok, let's ease her into it._ "I had a question that I thought you could help me answer." With a flourish, his hand with the rose appeared in front of her and he noted her wide eyes. "Would you like this if I gave it to you?"

Sora blinked once, twice, and then tilted her head.

"What?"

_Reword it. Simplify it._ "Do you like this rose?"

She blinked. "Well, yeah."

"Then keep it." He held it out more to her.

"Oh," she started, confusion clear in her voice, "Thanks?"

_She's not getting it._ He bit back the urge to sigh. "What do you think about the color?"

She turned the rose this way and that, her finger touching the lush red petals. "It's a pretty color, but - " she halted in her speech, some realization dawning and showing on her face.

Ken waited in anticipation. _She gets it now! _Red really was the universal language of romance.

"Ken," Sora said with a smile, "You don't have to worry, she'll like whatever you choose."

_Wait. What?_ "Who's she?"

"May," she chirruped. "You two are dating, right? You wanted my option on the rose idea?"

This time he did slap his palm to his forehead. _Blasted double date is coming back to haunt me! _"I'm not dating May!" he bit out, "You're the 'she' you are referring to!"

Her nose scrunched up in confusion. "I don't get it."

Ken threw his hands up in the air and half yelled to the heavens. He was at his wit's end with this and he was tired of not having her understand him.

"I like you!"

"So do I," she easily responded back with a smile. "You're a good friend."

"Not like that!" he bemoaned. "Most definitely not like a_ friend_!"

Words were failing him left and right. His gift misunderstood, his admittance plain but still _misunderstood...!_

_Action! _He decided. _That's the only way she'll understand it!_

He let go of his hair, having been pulling it in aggravation and stepped right in front of her. She was wide eyed as his hands gripped her upper arms and she was pulled against him, her sound of surprise quickly muffled over.

He kissed her.

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AN: And Ken finally does what he's been wanting to do!


	38. Chapter 38

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Ken kept hearing about taking a chance and just doing what you want to do.

So he did that.

And right now, as he kissed Sora on the lips, he felt that he did something right for once. He wanted to kiss her and he did. He could feel how soft her lips were and the tingling coolness along with the smell let him know that she had a minty chap stick on.

It was refreshing and warm and felt so so nice...

He pulled away, his hands still on her upper arms. He had a charming smile on his face as she put a hand to her lips as her eyes stared at him, the brown orbs focused on his face for the first time.

"Sora," he said with relief.

However, he began to frown when her eyes watered.

She stepped out of his hold as she shook her head. "Why, Ken?" she pitifully asked. The slight moisture in her eyes were now two full pools of tears. "Why?"

Before he could respond, she turned away from him and ran off.

_Well, that hadn't been anticipated_, he numbly thought.

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Sora was in the girls' bathroom over by the sink.

The faucet ran as she rubbed her lips with hand soap and as she scooped some water the soap began to foam. She hadn't expected that kiss from her friend.

_Well, friend-that-has-a-crush-on-me. _

Did that mean they weren't friends anymore?

She whimpered, the thought of losing a friend making her cry even more. It was bad enough that her first kiss hadn't been Leon as she had been hoping for; now she lost one of her oldest friends to top it all off.

_Wrong face, wrong eyes, wrong lips..._

Everything was just wrong.

She paused in cleaning her lips as she bawled out.

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The afternoon came at a crawling pace.

May, having seen the whole drama played out, sought out Ken for some head smacking after her training session. Entertainment-wise, she thought the stuff was golden. Personally, though...

That was another issue.

She found him in the tech box with his customary headphones and speaker piece for him to communicate with the rest of the stage.

"Ok, that light looks good," Ken said as he checked off stage light Number 8 as ok. "Now turn on Number 9. I think that one was glitching yester -" Ken's head pitched forward as something hit the back of his head, his headphones slipping off of him and crashing onto the floor. "Ouch!"

"That's for being a moron," May flatly said when he turned around to face her. Before letting him talk, she slapped him across the face for good measure. "And that's for being selfish."

Ken put a hand on his stinging cheek. "What in the world is wrong with you?!"

"You stole the words right out of my mouth," she quipped with a haughty tilt of her chin.

"You're crazy!" he yelled out. "What did I do to you?"

She looked at her nails. "I got a whole book on that, but that's for another time." She looked up at him, seeing the quizzical expression on his face. "What were you thinking kissing Sora?"

"You were spying on me?!"

She rolled her eyes. "You were hardly in private, you idiot. Who the hell _didn't _see you two kissing?" She tilted her head as a thought came to her. "Leon probably didn't see it or else he would have kicked your sorry butt away from her, lack of dating skills or not."

"What?" The last part of May's statement confused him.

She waved it away. "Sora's taking it pretty hard, so I suggest you go and apologize."

"No," he frowned. "That would be like taking it back, but I don't." Ken crossed his arms. "Besides, it's not like she's not used to kissing already. She'll be fine."

"No she won't," May bit out. "You don't just steal a girl's first kiss, simpleton. Even my brothers know that!"

That made Ken gape. "W-What?" He quickly narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "I highly doubt that was her first kiss, especially with Leon around her."

"I stopped her from trying to bleach her lips clean," May dryly stated. "I'm pretty sure that was her first kiss and she clearly didn't want it from you."

May stopped talking, waiting for him to respond.

"I'm her first kiss," he quietly said, the beginnings of a smile on his face. "I am, not Leon."

"You brat," May darkly muttered as she ran a hand over her face. She was finding it hard to see why she was interested in the carrot top at the moment. "That doesn't mean anything if she didn't want it."

Ken snapped out of his triumph with her words. "Of course it does! That means she'll remember it because it was her first kiss!"

Wordlessly, May gripped the front of his shirt and kissed him.

Hard.

When she released him, his face was bright red.

"T-That was your - " he cut himself off in embarrassment as he recalled what she had done.

"That was my first kiss," May arrogantly told him, "And by your reaction, I bet that was your first French kiss." She whirled around on her heel, having done what she came to do. "Now you'll remember that," she crowed out loud, "and so will I."

She sauntered out of the tech box and Ken realized that she was devastatingly right.

He'd be hard pressed _not _to remember a kiss like that.

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AN: And karma strikes back. Or rather, May. XD


	39. Chapter 39

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Leon sighed as he noted the poor state of his car.

He finally got around to getting it out of the impound lot now that he went to his court date and paid the ticket fee. Now he could get it to the mechanics and get the front of his car fixed. He watched as the tow truck driver got his car hooked up and loaded onto the back. Unfortunately, even with the ticket paid and done with, he now had to take some driving school lessons as an additional punishment for the next so weeks.

_And all because of my symptoms, _he wiry mused.

His distraction caused the accident, especially with her touch along his hand. He had not been in such a position before and he had froze when her fingers made contact with him.

"That's some damage," the tow truck driver stated as he came over to Leon.

"Yes," was all Leon said.

When Leon did not say anything else, the driver told him that they were ready to go. Leon nodded and went to the passenger side of the truck, hoisting himself up. Buckled in, he then gave the address for the mechanics and they were off.

"So," the driver started, his voice going over the music on the radio, "was the wreck because of a dame?"

Leon sharply turned to the man. The driver saw it and laughed.

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Leon sat down in the waiting area of the mechanics' office with the Sand Castle book opened.

He already called Kalos to tell him that he wouldn't be able to come in today, but will make up his practice time the following day. He also tried calling Sora to tell her that he would not be coming by but the call went to voice mail.

_Kalos probably told her. _

He would hate to have her come for their practice only to not have him show up. He stole a look at the clock on the wall and his leg bounced a little with indecision. With a sigh, he pulled out his phone again and dialed, setting the bookmark inside to hold his place. He waited a little and then the phone stopped ringing.

Silence.

Confused, he took a look at his phone to see if the call had been lost only to see that it was connected.

"Sora? Are you on the line?"

_"Yes,"_ came her meek voice.

He frowned at the unusually quiet tone. _Is she upset about me not coming today?_ He hoped that wasn't the case._  
_

"I apologize for not showing up," he murmured, "I am at the mechanics getting the car fixed." With a sudden idea that might get her to laugh or smile, he added, "Hopefully it will be ready for our date Saturday."

He heard something like a whimper, but the sound had been so faint he wasn't certain of what he heard.

_"I don't think I can,"_ she morosely said.

"Can what?"

Pause. _"I'm so sorry,"_ she bemoaned and then he heard the dial tone.

What in the world...?

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	40. Chapter 40

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The next morning, Leon got on the earliest bus he could to the Kaleido Stage.

His car was still in the shop for now, though that tidbit was not an issue for him at the moment. He lightly frowned as he stared out the window. _What did Sora mean when she said she can't? _

Did she mean she couldn't talk at the moment?

Or was it that she can't date him anymore?

He thrummed his fingers along the back of the seat as he thought. He was new to dating, but other than the disaster of their first date, he thought things were going smoothly between them. His eyes narrowed a little. _If she was fine with our first date, then I do not think one of our dates was the problem._

His fingers paused for a moment. _Is it because I haven't gotten her a gift yet?__  
_

Was there some unspoken rule that a second date needed to include a gift of some sort? Was that oversight the issue? _She did get me a book..._He noted the little shops around and pulled on the bus chord. _I'll find something now._

Hopefully he could still fix the problem.

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That morning, Sora's alarm went off.

She turned it off and then ducked her head back under her blanket. Most mornings she'd be up and about already, getting ready to have some breakfast with her friends. But the thought of running into Ken made her shrink within herself and then she thought about running into May and felt even worse. Even though she hadn't initiated the kiss, she had still kissed her friend's boyfriend. She really didn't think she could face May at the moment without feeling guilty.

As for Leon...

She let out a pitiful sound. _How can I face him right now?_

Where would she begin? What would she say? And how would he take the news?

Granted, they haven't been dating for long, but she felt like she betrayed him somehow, especially since they haven't kissed yet.

_We've just started and now it's going to end._

She whimpered a little, feeling so disappointed and sad that she burrowed even further into her sheets.

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As the cafeteria filled up, May couldn't help but notice a couple of distinct things.

1) Ken couldn't look at her without turning red.

2) Leon was sitting by himself.

Number one made her grin widely. She knew he wouldn't forget her kiss. Number two made her wonder what the heck was taking Sora so long to come? There was a little gift bag on the table next to Leon as he read, but by the slight frown on his face, she knew that he was confused about Sora's absence.

May took another look at Ken - inadvertently causing the carrot top to blush for the fifth time this morning as he noticed her looking at him.

_I wonder..._ She highly doubted that Ken had apologized to Sora yet and knowing how the redhead tended to take small things to heart, she had a feeling the incident with Ken was the reason why Sora wasn't here.

May stood up and walked over to Leon's table.

"Hey Leon, you looking for Sora?"

MIS

Sora fell asleep again for a little bit.

That, or the heavy blanket made her pass out from lack of air.

Whichever the case, she stirred as someone knocked on her door. "Who is it?" she slightly croaked out.

"You're still in here?!"

_May. _She'd recognize her voice anywhere. "Give me a moment."

May tsked and grumbled on the other side of the door. Sora dragged herself out of bed, keeping the blanket around her shoulders like a protective cape. She undid the lock and then opened the door.

Her sleepy eyes widened upon seeing Leon next to May.

On instinct, Sora slammed the door closed, but May had anticipated it. The dark haired acrobat put her foot in the way and grunted as she pushed her shoulder against the door.

"Oh no you don't!" May turned to Leon. "A little help here?"

Leon switched the gift bag to his left hand and gave a little push on the door with his right hand. He heard Sora squeak as the door swung open, making her back up and slip on her blanket. May rolled her eyes as Sora was sprawled on the floor.

"She's all yours," May breezily told Leon and then walked away.

Sora sat on her knees as she rubbed where she fell on. "My tailbone." With the sound of the door closing, though, her attention was quickly brought to Leon. Her face turned red.

Messy hair, short shorts on and a tank. Nope, she was not prepared to see Leon.

She probably had bad breath as well.

With all of that in mind, her right hand went over her mouth as her left hand tugged the blanket over herself. "M-Morning Leon."

"Good morning," he murmured back. He lifted the small bag up. "I brought a gift."

Her eyes watered, but not from happiness. "You didn't have to."

"...I wanted to."

He could only see her eyes for her hand covered the lower half of her face for some reason - he did not know she was trying to not let her bad morning breath to be smelled. However, he saw her brows twist and a few tears slip out of her eyes.

Was crying a normal reaction to receiving a gift?

"I can't accept it," she cried - though her hand covering her mouth made her words a little muffled.

He felt something cold inside with her words. "I see," he murmured.

He was too late.

"I'm sorry," she half whimpered, her hand on the blanket coming up to wipe her eyes. "I am so so sorry."

"Don't be," he murmured, the hand with the gift drooping down by his side. He's felt disappointment and rejection before. After all, the Oswald siblings didn't start as famous performers so circus rejections were not unheard of back then. But for some reason, Sora's rejection seemed to hurt more.

If it can hurt this much, why do people frequently do this?

He decided to save that thought for later.

"I'll leave you be," he said, keeping his voice toneless. He went back to the door and turned the knob, intent on leaving without looking back. However, he couldn't bring himself to do exactly that, instead he turned his head towards her, to wish her a good day when she spoke again.

"I didn't mean for it to happen," she whimpered. "It just happened so fast!"

Those words didn't fit with his actions. "Pardon?"

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AN: I think there's only two or three chapters left. You can only take "blissful ignorance" so far before it turns a little annoying. XP So I have been wrapping this up.


	41. Chapter 41

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Sora rubbed her eyes some more, trying to clear up her vision.

"Ken kissed me," she quietly stated.

Leon slowly blinked.

"On the lips," she added, unnecessarily pointing to said area.

His grey eyes looked down to her lips, the pink curves having a strange effect on him. He knew they were soft, having felt her kiss him on the cheek a couple of times. His own lips had tingled when he kissed her cheek.

The thought of having such a soft thing touching his own sent goosebumps up his spine.

He couldn't even comprehend how that would feel like.

"Did you want him to?" he murmured, recalling her previous statement about Ken.

She gave a tiny shake of her head. "No." Her bottom lip quivered and her eyes watered all over again. "But he did!" she wailed, her hands coming up to cover her face. "He took my first kiss!"

Leon kneeled beside her, his hands hovering over her form. Should he pat her on the back or the head? Will a hug be welcomed or was now not the right time for one?

He never did know how to respond to crying.

"Don't cry," he quietly said, hoping it sounded reassuring.

When she heard that he was close, she leaned into him, her covered face resting on his chest. He felt his heart rate speed up at the contact, but slowly placed a hand along her shoulder.

He guessed that a hug would be welcomed, given the fact that she leaned into him first. His arm went around her shoulders and brought her against him. Her hands went away from her face as the tears slowed once again, comforted by the fact that he was still here after what she told him, and lightly gripped his shirt.

"Does this mean we can still date?" she tentatively asked once she calmed.

"Why couldn't we?"

She shrugged. "I thought you'd get upset with me." Her head ducked under his chin as her face flamed a little. "After all, I wanted my first kiss with you."

Leon stared unseeingly at the wall. _What?_

"You...wanted it with me?" he slowly asked in disbelief.

He'd never kissed anyone before or even entertained the idea of it. If anything, he got the impression that most of the girls here would kill for Ken to kiss them. While not a performer, Ken had important skills that Leon lacked:

Dating skills.

He was certain that some knowledge of kissing would be preferred.

Sora nodded her head to his question, making his own head move up and down. "Yes," she shyly said. "I like you a lot, Leon."

"I don't know a thing about kissing," he solemnly informed her, thinking that it would be best to not get her hopes up for something spectacular. Her reveal made him warm and fuzzy inside, but he didn't want to get his own hopes up if she hadn't realized his lack of knowledge. "I don't even know the dating rules, except for the ones you've taught me."

Despite her earlier tears, she tittered against his chest. "Kissing's not about how much experience you have, silly!" She lifted her head from under his chin and looked at him, puffy eyed and all. "It's about who you share one with."

He considered her words, thinking about how a lot of things he's felt were because of her rather than the situation. "I suppose so," he said with a slow nod. "Then, are you saying you wish to kiss?"

Her entire face turned red. "Not right now! I'm still in my pajamas for crying out loud!"

He nodded at that. It was a very valid point.

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AN: Getting close to the end!


End file.
